“A Simple Plan” (1999) dir. Sam Raimi

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One of the best crime thrillers of the last 15 years, “A Simple Plan” has never quite gotten its due. It was based on a best-selling novel, had perfect actors for their respective roles (Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Brent Briscoe, Bridget Fonda), had a terrific script by the novel’s author Scott B. Smith, and excellent directing by Sam Raimi. It got some respectful nods from critics, Oscar nominations for Thornton and Smith, but bombed at the box office and has now been virtually forgotten.

That’s too bad, because this is a superior, intelligent thriller that presents more ethical quandaries and dilemmas than a graduate course on Ethics. The premise seems simple: three men find over $4 million in the woods near a crashed plane and decide to keep it. But then things unravel … and all three men find themselves in a world of danger that keeps escalating and the men find themselves doing things they would have never thought possible.

It reminds me of something I read once … maybe by Russian philosopher and semiotician Mikhail Bakhtin … that basically asserted that it’s not one act that causes man to act unethically.   If you wonder how you would act if presented with a significant moral and ethical dilemma, your answer is in how you act when presented with arguably minor ethical dilemmas (i.e. getting too much change back from a cashier, finding that jewelry item you reported missing after were paid for the item by your insurance company).  It’s the little decisions you make in your day to day life that comprises your character and what will define what you do in the face of a horrible decision.  Nobody’s perfect and even good people can make bad decisions.  But a callous disregard for such things in minor situations is likely to lead to more horrendous decisions later.  I may be wrong on whether it was Bakhtin that said this, but the sentiment holds very strongly to this film … and to what I have seen is behind most people’s very bad decisions.

“A Simple Plan” is deep. Very deep. And it will stay with you for days.

“Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (1982) dir. Amy Heckerling, scr. Cameron Crowe

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One of the best films about teenagers ever made, “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” was based on screenwriter Cameron Crowe’s real-life attempt to go back to high school undercover and write about what high school life was really like. The results are very funny, though they’re also sometimes extremely painful and awkward. Director Heckerling was especially sensitive in viewing how these kids were experiencing life. The characters are young, but they also face many things we tend to regard as adult issues (i.e. employment issues, unplanned pregnancies). I don’t know if things these days are better or worse for teenagers … especially given how nasty things have gotten with bullying, the internet, etc., but also with helicopter parenting being accepted as normal.

This scene between Sean Penn’s stoner character and Ray Walston’s teacher is a comedy classic. Walston’s character may be a “dick,” but he also deals with Penn’s character in a very calm, non-hysterical way … that’s also funny as hell. Seriously, what would YOU do, if you had Penn’s character as a student?  I think it speaks volumes for Heckerling’s and Crowe’s instincts to have them at least come to a meeting of the minds at the end of the film. They’ll never be buddies, but you get the sense that there is a mutual respect there.

“Baadasssss!” (2003) dir. Mario Van Peebles

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“Baadasssss!” is Mario Van Peebles’ personal tale of the trials and tribulations his father Melvin Van Peebles went through in making his revolutionary independent film “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” in 1971, a film that had as its tagline “Rated X by an all-white jury.”

Mario’s father Melvin had just had a box-office hit with “The Watermelon Man” and everyone in Hollywood wanted to sign Melvin up for his next film. But Melvin had different ideas. He wanted to make a film that would be authentically raw and street, but the moneymen and Hollywood moguls were terrified and said no. So Melvin raised the money on his own and created a truly revolutionary film for its time. This process did come at a price though, especially for his family and his son, Mario.

However, the rest is film history and “Baadasssss!” is one of the rawest and best True Hollywood Stories you’ll ever see. It’s a very sincere attempt by a son to honestly (and sometimes painfully) portray a father’s genius and shortcomings without giving short-shrift to either. One of the best films of the past decade, one of the best films about filmmaking ever made, and one of the best films I’ve ever seen period.

“Under the Milky Way” – The Church

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A song that’s always a breath of fresh air on any 80s mix. “Under the Milky Way” is a lovely and eerie acoustic-guitar (and bagpipes ?!?) driven ballad that got as high as number 24 on the Billboard singles chart in 1988. Considering the crap that was on the Top 40 that year, that’s quite an accomplishment. Produced by Warren Zevon’s producing right-hand man Waddy Wachtel.

“Remember (Walking in the Sand)” – The Shangri-Las

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Punk rock didn’t start in the 1970s. It’s roots were arguably in the 1950s and especially, the early 1960s. The Shangri-Las were as street as the New York Dolls or any of the CBGB punk bands that emerged in the 1970s. So what if they weren’t singing about sniffing glue or having personality crises?

I remember hearing this song a lot when I was a kid on an oldies compilation my parents had. The drama and beach sound effects always haunted me. I didn’t know what the singer was feeling (and wouldn’t know it for real for several years), but it sounded like the end of the world.

Yes, this song is horrendously melodramatic and may only seem to be about the aftermath of a teenage breakup … but that’s what makes it so incredibly cool. As we get older and more jaded, it’s hard to remember how events we now see as trivial or not a big deal mean THE WORLD to someone younger. And yes, when you break up with someone when you’re that young, it really does seem like the end of the world. This is one of those songs that seriously and accurately conveys the drama of one’s first break-up. Something to keep in mind when your own kids will inevitably face the same thing later in life.

And if you’re at all intrigued by the Shangri-Las’ story (and it is a compelling one), be sure to download the ultra-cool Kindle mini-book from Amazon: “Are You There God? It’s Me Mary: The Shangri-Las and the Punk Rock Love Song” by Tracy Landecker.

“Where Eagles Dare” – The Misfits

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The Misfits were always a refreshing alternative to most hardcore punk bands. They could play as fast and as tough as any band and they rode the psychotronic film imagery like no other band save the Cramps. But the Misfits’ songs had real harmonies and melodies. In my opinion, the Misfits’ secret influence is the Shangri-Las. Slow down any Misfits song and it sounds like early 1960s Shadow Morton/Phil Spector produced pop. This is my favorite Misfits song, but not my favorite version. That version can be found on the first Misfits collection CD. However, what’s here is still pretty cool.  Contains one of my all-time lyrics: “I ain’t no goddamned son-of-a-bitch!”

“Living in Darkness” – Agent Orange

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Southern California punk legends Agent Orange with the title track from their exquisite 1982 mini-LP “Living in Darkness.” Agent Orange were a heavenly combination of the Ventures and Blue Oyster Cult, but with punk speed and attitude. This song and album was on constant replay during 1984-1985 and is still a stunner to this day.  Makes me want to ride up to the 7-11 on my skateboard and get a Big Gulp.  Though I realize that a 40-something guy on a skateboard whose name is not Tony Hawk isn’t cool … just  creepy.  So, maybe I’ll drive.

“Strange Days” (1995) dir. Kathryn Bigelow

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Kathryn Bigelow has always been one of the most exciting directors around. It’s nice she’s getting some acclaim, box-office love, and Oscar nominations/wins to boot (“The Hurt Locker,” “Zero Dark Thirty”). However, one of her most underrated films is 1995’s thriller “Strange Days.”

Produced by Bigelow’s ex-husband James Cameron, “Strange Days” is one of those films that makes you think, “Man, that was soooo 1990s.” Not only for the flashy visuals and maximum volume / intensity action and violence, but also because the film takes place in the days right before Y2K. And as such (given millennial fears), the film shows America on the verge of a social, economic, and racial apocalypse (not entirely inaccurate).

The film features Ralph Fiennes in the lead as a sort of virtual reality drug dealer, selling lifelike virtual reality experiences of illicit and sensual pleasures. However, like any drug, the virtual reality experiences can sometimes be addictive and people find themselves slavishly addicted to “playback.” As the film unfolds, there’s elements involving “snuff” clips (people being killed for the purpose of making a virtual reality user experience murder), assassinations, and political/legal corruption.

A lot of this is very melodramatic and sometimes laughable (it’s always interesting to see how older filmmakers and storytellers envision a future we’ve already lived through). But what’s most amazing is in how much it predicted: the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls (and ensuing conspiracy theories involving the LAPD, record label moguls, and rival gangs), the addictive nature of an internet life (as seen with people – mainly in Eastern countries – who have literally died playing multiple hours of video games at a clip without rest), the addictive need to watch more and more disturbing imagery (because it’s only a click away, remember), and how we all are just a significant event away from mass chaos and confusion (i.e. Katrina).

“Strange Days” may be flawed, but even nearly 20 years later, it’s still an undeniably exciting film. The acting, from Fiennes to Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Vincent D’onofrio and Michael Wincott, is excellent. I had the privilege of seeing “Strange Days” the day it opened in October 1995 on a huge screen with a very loud (and then novel) digital soundtrack … and tellingly, only 2 other people in the audience.  This is a film that seriously needs reevaluation, along with a deluxe Blu Ray edition that takes full advantage of the medium.