My Favorite Lines From Favorite Movies Part 2

This is my continuation of an arc I started a short while back, containing some of my all-time favorite lines from the movies I never tire of watching. So, for those times when you need something to say...

• Part 1

The Insider

"Fame has a fifteen-minute half-life. Infamy lasts a little longer."

L.A. Confidential

"Don't start tryin' to do the right thing, boy-o. You haven't had the practice."

"Oh, great. You get the girl, I get the coroner."

"I doubt you've ever taken a stupid breath. Don't start now."

Jackie Brown

"AK-47. When you absolutely, positively got to kill every motherf****r in the room. Accept no substitutes."

His Girl Friday

Bruce: "He's got a lot of charm."
Hildy: "Yes, it comes naturally - his grandfather was a snake"

Arsenic and Old Lace

"I don't know if I can explain it to you! It's not only against the law, it's wrong!"

"Look I probably should have told you this before but you see... well... insanity runs in my family... It practically gallops."

The Two Jakes

"What I do for a living may not be very reputable, but I am. In this town, I'm the leper with the most fingers."

Tequila Sunrise

"You've lost half a million dollars, confiscated a ton of useless coke, and been responsible for the murder of a federal informant. And, that's just tonight."

"You son of a bitch! How could you do this? Friendship is the only choice in life you can make that's yours! You can't choose your family! Goddamn it, I've had to face that! No man should be judged for whatever direction his dick goes! That's like blaming a compass for pointing north, for Chrissake! Friendship is all we have. We chose each other. How could you fuck it up? How could you make us look so bad?"

Casablanca

"How extravagant you are, throwing away women like that. Some day they may be scarce."

"As the leader of all illegal activities in Casablanca, I am an influential and respected man."

The Maltese Falcon

"My guess might be excellent or it might be crummy, but Mrs. Spade didn't raise any children dippy enough to make guesses in front of a district attorney, and an assistant district attorney and a stenographer."

"I distrust a man who says 'when.' If he's got to be careful not to drink too much, it's because he's not to be trusted when he does."

Rob Roy

Archibald Cunningham: "Think of yourself a scabbard, Mistress McGregor, and I the sword. And a fine fit you were, too."
Mary MacGregor: "I will think on you dead, until my husband makes you so. And then I will think on you no more."

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My Favorite Lines From Favorite Movies Part 1

Image via Wikipedia

There are times, in any number of situations, when the most ideal response you can say to someone or to what's happening around you, is a singular quote from a movie. It makes sense, too. Some of the best writers of dialogue on the planet have written for film throughout the decades. This is particularly true for the very quotable first film I highlight below, and as stated so persuasively by blogger B-Sol in his fine review of said film back in February. Okay, I'll also stipulate for the record that for other times it's best to just keep 'your big yap shut'. But that would effectively kill the rest of the blog post, so we'll just move on with my original intent. The following (in no particular order) is the start of an arc for some of my all-time favorite lines from the movies I never tire of. So, for those times when you need something to say...

Casablanca

Capt. Renault: "What in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca?"
Rick Blaine: "My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters."
Capt. Renault: "The waters? What waters? We're in the desert."
Rick Blaine: "I was misinformed."
~
"Might as well be frank, monsieur. It would take a miracle to get you out of Casablanca, and the Germans have outlawed miracles."
~
Rick Blaine: "And remember, this gun is pointed right at your heart."
Capt. Renault: "That is my *least* vulnerable spot."

Pulp Fiction

"No one needs to know about this except you, me and Mr. Soon-To-Be-Living-The-Rest-of-His-Short-Ass-Life-in-Agonizing-Pain Rapist here."

Heat

"He knew the risks, he didn't have to be there. It rains... you get wet."

It's A Wonderful Life

"One man's life touches so many others, when he's not there it leaves an awfully big hole."

Chinatown

"Course I'm respectable. I'm old. Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough."

Apocalypse Now

"Everyone gets everything he wants. I wanted a mission, and for my sins, they gave me one."

Tequila Sunrise

"What is it, Nick? You need some chapstick or some lip gloss or something, Nick, because your lips keep getting stuck on your teeth. Or is that your idea of a smile?"

The Usual Suspects

"Back when I was picking beans in Guatemala, we used to make fresh coffee, right off the trees I mean. That was good. This is sh*t but, hey, I'm in a police station."

The Maltese Falcon

Brigid O'Shaughnessy: "I haven't lived a good life. I've been bad, worse than you could know."
Sam Spade: "You know, that's good, because if you actually were as innocent as you pretend to be, we'd never get anywhere."

The Silence of the Lambs

"I do wish we could chat longer, but, I'm having an old friend for dinner."

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Of Movies, Soundtracks, and iPods

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People get exposed to music in all form and manner. From TV, cable programs, entertainment systems (your own or what's blaring from the vehicle bordering next to you while you wait at the traffic signal), to friends/co-workers. Even picking up on new and un-experienced tunes from those who write some very keen blog posts on the subject (I include bloggers Moondancer, Jen, Corey, and Dennis, here), or leave generous and insightful comments in response to such (like internet friend Poncho). My library and I have benefited from these, of late. But since I have a penchant for watching movies, too [wife: "No... really?"], I have to confess that that medium has been another avenue for identifying new music and acquiring tracks that end up on to my iPod. It goes without saying, the endless play of those tunes has given me an untold amount of enjoyment, and has driven the consternation of my immediate family, on occasion. On the other hand, I see that last part as my job as the jumbled spouse, and generationally-challenged parent. That's just par for the course.

Notwithstanding, the mere fact that a track is in a film (even if it's a good movie or song), doesn't guarantee that I'll acquire it for that sake. But there are times when the music (whether it's a popular tune or not) will match so eloquently to the scene, the action, or the mood of that cinema moment. On these rare occasions, it melds both movie and song into my memory, and that is when I move on it. If I hear that song or melody, I'm right back there in my head. Quite the contrary, a track like the Theme from a Summer Place, while it is on my iPod, didn't get there using the criteria I just described. That old instrumental is memorable to me because, as a child, I was brought up with it, and it's not because of that particular film. Just the same, a song like Huey Lewis and the News' The Power of Love does make it on that basis. And you're probably sick of me alluding to it so many times, but Crowded House's Recurring Dream is stuck in my head (and on my iPod) because of the movie Tequila Sunrise. As well, you might as well throw a filmmaker like Michael Mann into this mix. Especially, for his soundtrack selections (see the use of the infectious salsa tune Arranca by Manzanita in 2006's Miami Vice). The instrumental music he chooses for his closing shots, in particular, are exemplary for their culminating tenor (see Thief, Heat, or Collateral). He really knows how to end a movie (on a high note, so to speak).

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Additionally, I could have a section of the library dedicated to Quentin Tarantino films all by themselves. His clever use of old, current, and eccentric music in all of his movie soundtracks is almost freakishly dead on. I include the noir lyrical Goodnight Moon (from Kill Bill Vol. 2), to The Delfonics and Bobby Womack cuts of Jackie Brown, to making me wince when I think of (Reservoir Dogs) Stealers Wheel's Stuck in the Middle With You. And then there are the longshot contributions of such underrated fare like The Long Kiss Goodnight (which is one of the great movie titles, ever, and sounds like it should be a classic crime fiction novel by Raymond Chandler) for bringing in the likes of Santana's version of The Zombie's classic, She's Not There. Through the years, there have been so many of these that have eaten up storage capacity on my computer and iPod (and in case you're worried, I do make it a point to run back-up programs).

And, if I was going to mention and/or list those soundtrack songs that illicit this peculiar procurement response (what else would be the point of yammering on so, if not to make a post of it), I'd have to start with the examples below. So the question I put to you, Have any movie/music combinations done the same to you and your personal digital player?

Even though Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly didn't come out till late 1967, we had the single the next year (well, my brother did - but I listened to it constantly after viewing this movie). Clint Eastwood's third spaghetti western continued his rise in world popular movie status, and continued composer Ennio Morricone's association with the famed Italian director. Years later, Morricone would do other distinct and wonderful scores in other film favorites of mine, including The Thing (1982), The Mission, and The Untouchables. When I finally downloaded this to an iPod, it was one of the first of these movie tracks (though, it was Hugo Montenegro's version of the instrumental).

I didn't see Breakfast at Tiffany's when it came out (I was only 7 years old in 1961), but years later, it is likely when I fell for Audrey Hepburn. Perhaps that very moment, when I recognized it, was when Audrey sang the Johnny Mercer, Henry Mancini tune this in the movie. The irony here is that I started out with both the Andy Williams vocal and the Mancini instrumental versions in the iPod library, and it was only recently that I picked up Audrey's simple and heartfelt version from the movie itself.

I enjoyed listening to both Harry Belafonte's Jump the Line and Day-O songs, beforehand. But Tim Burton's highly imaginative use of them in Beetlejuice sealed the deal. I can't listen to either without thinking about the movie - and neither can my daughter who absolutely hates how the sequence (above) culminates.

Paul Oakenfold's charged dance tune, Ready Steady Go, gets here because it has been use twice in two electrifying action sequences. In The Bourne Identity's car chase sequence in 2002 (by director Doug Liman), and above in Michael Mann's exciting, almost music video-like sequence from 2004's Collateral. It's strange in that it works so well in both films since their sequences are so different in mood and staging. But, it does.

Truthfully, I'd have Gimme Shelter on my iPod, anyway. But, since it's been used so effectively by Martin Scorsese in some killer sequences for three of his crime films (Goodfellas, Casino, The Departed), I've got to mention it here. Even a Simpson's episode used it. Besides, any excuse to listen to Merry Clayton belt out that second, echoey vocal track is always fine by me.

And if I'm going to list that Stones' tune, you know I've got to include the Ferris Bueller's Day Off clip of the lead character lip-syncing the great Twist and Shout by the boys from Liverpool. The clip speaks for itself (and this song must be in the air, or ether, because this YouTube video clip was just added a couple of weeks ago).

Composer Danny Elfman's soundtrack of The Kingdom is mostly guitar instrumentals. But, this affecting track (titled Finale), which comes after the great but draining action sequence of the film, is such a melodic, haunting tune (that more than matches the emotional context and dialogue in the scene it appears in). If you've seen it, you'll know what I'm talking about.

I don't have a lot of opera classics on my digital player, but most of those that I do have came from the movies. In this case, Vide Cor Meum (written by Patrick Cassidy) is a prime example. It really is an evocative piece. So much so, that director Ridley Scott used it (quite effectively) in two of his movies: first in 2001's Hannibal, and later in Kingdom of Heaven (2005).

Okay, I admit it. I can be such a Christmas time softy, at times. But, Josh Groban's version of Believe (from 2004's The Polar Express) sure made it easier to stomach the motion sickness inducing 3-D effects employed on this film.

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Appreciative Review: Tequila Sunrise

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Every summer I make it a point to watch one of my favorite movies, Robert Towne's Tequila Sunrise. And, this year was no exception. Released in 1988, it is the second directed feature from the writer of another great (L.A.) film, Chinatown. It is a wonderfully layered neo noir film set in the distinct South Bay area of Los Angeles. Although, I often ponder if I hadn't attended L.A. Harbor College right after high school (and spent a formative portion of my student life in and around that curvature of beach area), would I care as much as I do for this film? Here, I'll let one of the well fleshed out characters from the movie answer that:

Probably not, but who knows what he's really up to? I mean you're snitch isn't going to tell us... ~ Lt. Nick Frescia

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Set in the Reagan-era 80's, with a soundtrack to match (like many I can't help but associate Crowded House's Recurring Dream with this movie), Tequila Sunrise is a brooding tale of deceit and betrayal, but primarily it is one of friendships. Some have criticized this film for being confusing (and its production history may have something to do with that). But at its core, it's a solid character-based melodrama that is laced with ambiguity and some ever-moving boundaries. Just about everyone in this film is not quite what you'd first assume. If you enjoy a film that needs close watching, with intricate character motives--regardless of clear moral distinctions--this one is for you.

For T.S., Mel Gibson plays Dale (Mac) McKussic, a retired South Bay cocaine smuggler of legendary proportions. Interestingly, Gibson was not the first choice in the antihero role--it was initially envisioned for the likes of Jeff Bridges or Harrison Ford. Maybe, Bridges could have pulled it off, but I have my doubts that Ford would have been as successful here as Gibson in this character. To me, he was unafraid to convey the darker aspects of this part (see 1999's Payback)--something Ford would likely have pushed to tone down. And I doubt that other big name actors would have undertook a role like this one (and so on the other side of the law). Here, the character wants to stay out of the drug business (one that he's been so good at) for a more normal life. But, as he puts it:

And I may be paranoid, but then again nobody wants me to quit.

Not so much opposing him, but being the flip side of a morally dubious coin, is Lt. Nick Frescia (who heads up L.A. Sheriff's drug enforcement unit). Most crime fiction (book or film) centered in Los Angeles, makes use of the well-known LAPD. To his credit, Towne lets the location set the story's law enforcement entity--and it provides an absorbing contrast with the lesser known Sheriffs. The vastly underrated Kurt Russell plays this character as a smart, slick operator capable of breaking the law when it helps him enforce it. Again, Kurt was not the primary choice for this role (now can you imagine Alec Baldwin or Nick Nolte as this?) Even then Laker coach Pat Riley was considered for the role (which Kurt pays homage). Like Mel, Russell is quite capable of playing the ambiguous lead (see the later Dark Blue for further proof). He's equally adept with his facial expressions (his wordless observation of a DEA interrogation is simply perfect). Personally, I think of Nick's character in the Captain Renault league.

Jo Ann: That's an awful lot of money.

Mac: Uh, fifteen million dollars.

Jo Ann: That is an awful lot of money.

Mac: Yeah, well. Money makes people predictable, at least. They'll never be reliable.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

To really begin to understand these two characters, southern Cal-native (and renowned screenwriter) Robert Towne sprinkles his marvelous, sharp dialogue throughout the movie in building their history and the plot-line--a portion of those interchanges I've chosen to drop in this post. Their friendship is long, and probably has always been rivalrous. And, it is the key point of the tale. The writer/director has a keen eye to the strangest of relationships: those life-long friendships that arise, and are tempered, in the furnace known as high school. I don't know anyone who claims H.S. was ever a smooth and simple part of their lives. And it provides a great springboard for the story, one that the screenwriter effectively writes quite well. The character's friendship has continued despite their paths veering to opposing sides of the law.

Nick: You got one chance, buddy, turn yourself in.

Mac: What for?

Nick: What for?!?

Mac: Yeah, what for? I told you I had an accounting problem in the restaurant. I've been holding on to money for someone, and he's here to pick it up. I mean it's his money.

Nick: I wanna get this straight. You'd kill me over drug money?

Mac: Well... it's a lot of money.

The primary impetus for the trouble to come is from the outside. For Nick, it's the unwelcome intervention by DEA agent Hal Maguire, done to slimy perfection by an extraordinary character actor who is greatly missed since his passing. J.T. Walsh built a career playing either the villain (Breakdown) or the almost invisible but key support (A Few Good Men). In this role, he's in top form as the smarmy fed (and not the sharpest knife in the drawer). He forces Nick to try and nail his friend (who he likes) to do his job for him (who he hates) so as to keep his friend out of federal custody.

Jo Ann: What is it, Nick? You need some chapstick or lip gloss or something cause your lips keep getting stuck on your teeth. Or, is that your idea of a smile?

Nick: (smiling and embarrassed) That's my idea of a smile. Ah, man. You are... you're tough.

For Mac, coincidentally, it's the complication of his friend/drug overlord "Carlos" coming to town to clear up "an accounting problem." Without giving too much away, the other greatly missed actor who co-stars, the late Raul Julia, gets to have loads of fun playing the mysterious Mexican cop Javier Escalante (brought in by Maguire to help arrest this crime lord). That, and Mac's yearning for restaurateur Jo Ann Vallenari (the gorgeous Michelle Pheiffer plays her for all her smart & sexy toughness). All of this is complicated since Nick immediately sees her as someone who can help him with his case against Mac. However, the lieutenant is just not prepared for his feelings and the resulting consequences for both he and his friend.

Tequila Sunrise is nothing if not a primer on the twists and turns of friendships, and the moral implications of choice. This movie plays better to those who watch it carefully. But if you stick with it, by the end it is so worth it, IMO. The additional visual treat of this movie is the great cinematography on display by the famed Conrad Hall. One standout scene is the sunset summit scene between Mac and Nick on the beachside with a spectacular sunset going on in the background. If you listen to the excellent commentary track by producer Thom Mount (who gives some great insight on the film's production) the impromptu locale of that sequence, in particular, is quite remarkable in its result.

The 1997 DVD is now very long in the tooth and is certainly in need of re-issue, remastering, and new extras (hopefully this time, with input from its writer/director) on how it evolved to its final cut. Also, be on the watch for a small but wonderful cameo by the legendary western director (and Robert Towne favorite), Budd Boetticher, in the role of Judge Nizetitch. It's a superb tribute for a director that deserves greater recognition. Now, let's end this post with a particularly killer piece of noirish dialogue that serves as a great thumbnail for this underrated film (it's one that hits home with me):

Carlos: You son of bitch! How could you do this? Friendship is the only choice in life you can make that's yours! You can't choose your family! Goddamn it, I've had to face that! And no man should be judged for whatever direction his dick goes! That's like blaming a compass for pointing north, for Chrissake! Friendship is all we have. We chose each other. How could you fuck it up? How could you make us look so bad?

An 80's Kind of Week

The 80's. I've been seeing references to that unique American period all week! Whether it's seeing parts of the '84 Games in L.A., reminders that I met and married my wife during that decade, Tequila Sunrise, or having a IT colleague at work share a 1986 picture unearthed on the Internet by (so-called) friends of his:

And yes, he's a musician when not doing tech support. Add to this as the family shopped at the grocery market this evening, all they played over the air was a homage to 80's music. None more stuck in my head at the moment than this song by The Romantics:

It's enough for me to fall back on a memorable quote from 1984's Splash:

Walter Kornbluth: What a week I'm having!

The Renegades

Last year when I attended the annual Robert Crais-hosted panel at the L.A. Times Festival of Books, the co-host for that session was T. Jefferson Parker. He was a new addition--RC has hosted festival panels in the past with known authors like Harlan Coben and Michael Connelly. And, those are always one of the most fun, engaging, and informative sessions at each one. Since I had heard of the author, but never read him, I decided to try his current release at that time, L.A. Outlaws, in audiobook (as is my M.O.). I found the book a more than enjoyable read and its characters, Sheriff Deputy Charlie Hood and the female outlaw Allison Murrieta, beguiling. So much so that I picked up the sequel, The Renegades, soon after its February 2009 release date. I don't comment on many books, and I only post those that draw me in some way or manner. Such is the case here.

Parker, like Crais, writes crime fiction about the people, cops and criminals that inhabit the SoCal region--though of what I hear, in his other works he stays closer to Orange County than L.A. proper. In fact during that particular panel, RC suggested to TJP that the protagonist Hood was worthy of a sequel and/or series. Just about everybody in the audience who'd read it agreed with that statement. The other interesting appeal of that novel is that it details the other law enforcement agency here in Los Angeles, one that's not so high profile like the L.A.P.D.--the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Those of us that live here will recognize some of the Sheriff Department's manner and history in both books. That's also one of the reasons the under-rated movie Tequila Sunrise is my annual treat: it is because of the character Lt. Nick Frescia and the Sheriffs [full disclosure: my sister-in-law is a L.A. Sheriff Deputy].

That brings us back to that sequel. TJP follows up on Hood in this work after all of the excitement in L.A. Outlaws, and its after-effects, in his usual easy going prose. This time, the author makes good use of the much different desert terrain of the Antelope Valley and the drug trade connection between the southland and the nearby Mexican border towns. The problem in this novel, however, is that the character of Allison Murrieta is only a haunting specter to what goes on in between these pages, and no longer dominates the proceedings like she did in the previous book. We're left with pretty much Hood alone, without the shine coming off one of the better anti-heroines in crime fiction (though, I give TJP credit here for such a creation). Without her though, he's just not as complex and compelling.

I wanted to enjoy this work as I did with L.A. Outlaws. Like Crais, Parker gets the southland landscape and its moods down on written word with great ability. And writing about the lesser known Sheriffs adds to that flair. But it just didn't click here like the previous book, to me at least. It's not a bad novel. I'm satisfied to have read it, but it didn't hit the expectation it set for itself with the first Hood novel. That became clear to me during the key surveillance and action sequence that takes the lead character across the border. The author builds it well, that is until a he manages to write such a contrived escape (almost deus ex machina-like). I won't spoil it for you, but if you read the book, I'm interested in other opinions about that one event. Lastly, the author leaves enough hanging at novel's end for an obvious book continuation--whether that makes the author, publisher, or reader happy is the open question.

Brilliance Audio published the audiobook with their usual fine production values. Narrator David Colacci returns for the sequel and performs well. Although, if you listened to the L.A. Outlaws audiobook, you get the more than satisfying experience of listening to David and his real-life narrator/wife, Susan Eriksen, co-read that novel.

Bottomline: L.A. Outlaws - good, The Renegades - not quite...

S Is The Word

Jen of Jen's Book Thoughts kindly gave me a letter so I could participate in this meme. I'll paraphrase the gist of it:

...identify 10 things that you love that start with a particular letter. Hand out a letter to any commenter that asks to participate and continue the meme.

Now I never thought this was going to be easy, but it's even harder than one would think. Sure, you can dilute things enough to fill this out, but then limiting it to just 10 really causes one to self reflect. So, since we're talking about the letter S, I'll not mention the obvious thing that comes to many a mind, sex. And while I enjoy the heck out of it (I have two kids, mind you), it's too easy, probably cheating and much too pedestrian for this lofty a list ;-). So, in no particular order.:

1. Sunsets - I've lived all of my life in Los Angeles. It's home. And whether it has some minuses to go along with its long list of pluses--like all big cities--it also has some of the most breathtaking sunsets on display throughout the entire year. All for free. I've been to the other parts of the country, including the Hawaiian islands (and theirs are magnificent too), but all of those twilights are not in my hometown. And few compare. I consider myself lucky to be in this part of the world looking at that portion of the sky come close of day.

2. Sting Ray - no, not the Dasyatidae. The car. Specifically, the distinct model era of the Chevrolet Corvette that was produced between 1963 and 1967. I don't know any red-blooded American male born anywhere near that period that does not recognize this vehicle, or that striking styling. I can thank Route 66 for this now aged love. Not specifically the historic mother road, but the 60's TV show. And though those TV heros started off using the older CI model, they upgraded and incorporated the really cool Sting Ray version--and I've been sold on it ever since. And when I discovered my favorite book series by Robert Crais, Elvis Cole, some years later, I was only too thrilled to see him drive a 1966 "Jamaica Yellow" Sting Ray convertible. 'Nuff said. 

3. Starkey - as in Carol Starkey, the hard-bitten, ex-LAPD bomb squad heroine from the Crais standalone novel, Demolition Angel--BTW, I'm using here the Corey Meme Corollary (established and validated here, item 4) whereby the first, middle, or last names can be used to meet the letter requirement of any meme. Not only was she a favorite book character of mine in her own right, but her insertion afterwards into the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike universe brought an awesome dynamic into an already great series. Each appearance segment within each of the last three Cole novels was always a highlight for me, especially any of her interactions with the "World's Greatest Detective".

4. Sword & Sandal films - these have a special place in my heart going all the way back to childhood. I fondly recall the times watching, in the theater or at home in front of the TV set, the telling of biblical, Roman, or mythological tales, and being completely enthralled in the epic, adventure and spectacle that was unique to them. From The Robe to Quo Vadis to Ulysses, and all of those in between and beyond. They were such fun! That is, until the deviant Capt. Oveur said that memorable line to the kid Joey in the movie Airplane! Then, it I'd just keep my mouth shut and move on to...

5. Samurai movies - that's right, I'm talking about that one particular film genre from Japan. Known as chambara or "sword-fighting" movies in that part of the world. I first discovered this notable group of cinema during the 70's and found the only outlet, outside the L.A.'s Little Tokyo, was the now defunct mid-city Toho Theatre (it's a church, now). I learned to relish these period dramas, which share a special context with our own "Westerns". Many of these "Easterns" spawned or influenced some of their famous counterparts (Seven Samurai :: The Magnificent Seven, The Hidden Fortress :: Star Wars). Great stuff.

7. Star Trek - I know, I know. He's in tech, so must be a geek (an old one, at that), so of course...he's into Star Trek. Guilty as charged. My fondness for Sci-Fi was influenced early by exposure to some seminal works when they were initially released--this is one of them. Although, I wouldn't call myself a Trekkie or Trekker or even a Niner--I've never attended an Star Trek Convention (please, I'm not that nerdy). But, I have seen  (at least once) every TV episode of every series, except for Enterprise (which was the weakest of the lot), and all of the big screen releases. And, I'm introducing my kids to the newly digitally re-mastered Original Series--much to the chagrin of their mother.

8. Scallops & Shrimp - I was going to put down seafood, but I've become more selective in my old age (and if my acidy stomach has anything to say about it). But these delectable mollusk and crustaceans have never been put on the sideline, ever, when we go to a favorite seafood restaurant of ours, or when we breakout the BBQ. Some grillin', lemon and some crusty artisan bread, and this one is good to go--that, and having a 150mg tablet of Zantac.

9. Summer - while Fall used to be my favorite season, now it's this one that brings me the most enjoyment. What's not to love: my joints creak less, my golf and handicap improves, 4th of July picnics, beach-combing, and I get to run around in short sleeves and shorts. The warm weather in southern California during this time of year brings everyone out. And, as opposed to some places, our humidity remains low (except for a portion of July when the monsoonal moisture comes from up from Mexico), so it's a comfortable heat. Plus it's time to break out some of my favorite summer movie DVDs, like Tequila Sunrise.

10. Sexdecillion - okay, I lied. I had to get sex somehow onto this list, and this seemed like the best way (and least suggestive) to do this. I happen to like this large number name for 10 to the 51st power on the American Short Scale--learned it many moons ago in some distant math class. Plus, it just sounds so good. 

And there it is. If you'd like to continue and participate in this alphabet meme, please let me know in the comments.

Starting the Annual Run

Every year, I throw in to the DVD player some annual movie favorites--films that I view no matter what happens. Besides those for the recent holidays, I will always take in  L.A. Confidential, Michael Mann's Heat and Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (usually in the Spring). Come summer, it's Chinatown and Robert Towne's (under-rated) Tequila Sunrise time.

There are others that I won't mention here, but yesterday I began this year's run with one that includes a favorite actor of mine: Liam Neeson. The choice was influenced by the Friday movie that I took in, the newly released Taken. It's a decent actioner, but Liam still shines. So, I had to start it with 1995's Rob Roy.

This one, released the same year as Braveheart, has a number of great things going for it. Apart from Liam (who was my pick for Best Actor for Schindler's List), it has a great story (though not very factual), cast, one of the great film villains ever, and what is arguably the best sword-fight ever lensed. And for that, I will forever see actor Tim Roth as Archie Cunningham. With regard to that sword-fight, journalist and blogger Steven Hart described it best. I can't say it any better than he, but I did have to add a comment ;-). I should note, hopefully, the studios will re-release a new, re-mastered DVD for this great work (like they did last fall for Braveheart). The current disc is long-in-the-tooth and the picture suffers some on new flat panel sets. Plus, this movie and its fans yearn for the extras that the current barebones edition so sorely lacks.

Now, what's next in the stack?