Top 5 Film: Ohio

I have certain friends that would literally spell this one out for you, as they went to a certain school in Ohio that shall remain nameless. There's really no reason that I picked Ohio other than saying to my girlfriend, "Pick a state" and she gave me this one.

I'm getting a little bit nervous about being able to find 5 worthy candidates for each state and may have to adapt the arbitrary number accordingly. I do like a challenge, though, so we'll see what happens together. If anything changes, you'll be the first to know. On with the list!

American Splendor
I'll admit that this one is a bit of filler. I enjoyed the film when I watched it and thought Giamatti was great. A lot of mileage is gotten out of using the real life subjects and their actor counterparts, but aside from that and some interesting images, American Splendor kind of went in one ear and out the other. I've been meaning to give it another shot, but there are so many movies to see that it's always pushed to the backburner. However, this is the sort of "comic book" movie I want to see. No more superheroes.


The Faculty
I'm not a huge Robert Rodriguez fan. I've been entertained by some of his stuff, but mostly I'm uninterested. Of his films, The Faculty is probably my favorite (aside from the offensively bad covers of Another Brick in the Wall Parts 1 and 2). The cast is comprised of an impressive variety of performers (something Rodriguez has a knack for): Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood, Jordana Brewster, Salma Hayek, Bebe Neuwirth, Famke Janssen, Robert Patrick, Usher, Christopher McDonald, and Jon Stewart(!). I remember stories from the set about John Stewart being the only adult who really hung out with the kids. Makes sense. Some complain about the film just being a bunch of references, but I kind of dig it in the way I dig Shaun of the Dead (a much better film). I like seeing the huge The Thing set piece (where they test who's an alien). Hell, if I didn't, I wouldn't be allowed to like the X-Files episode, Ice, which is a bigger riff on The Thing that The Faculty could ever be. It's just a fun, silly, high school aliens-are-taking-over-our-bodies type of movie.


Major League
This movie is in my veins. It's one of the earliest films I remember watching repeatedly. I'm not really sure why my parents let me watch an R-rated movie so much, but it's appreciated. I even remember hiding my eyes at the sex scene (where there wasn't any nudity) because I didn't want them to think that I was interested in it. Like most baseball movies, the team to beat in the end is the Yankees. My only consolation is that being the case, the Yankees tend to lose in the end (unless the movie is, you know, about the Yankees). Probably the most surprising thing about Major League for me today is that Dennis Haysbert plays Pedro Cerrano. That man is ripped! Also notable, my nickname as a young pitcher was Wild Thing, probably because the first game I ever pitched I didn't get an out or give up a hit, but proceeded to walk (or bean!) every batter I faced. Finally, James Gannon is the classic manager in my mind. Sadly, he passed this year. The man had the best voice in film.


Tommy Boy
An undisputed classic of dumb comedy. Not a moment is unquotable or unfunny and it has a huge heart. This amuses me because apparently Roger Ebert said of it, "No one is funny in Tommy Boy. There are no memorable lines. None of the characters are interesting..." I guess there's no accounting for taste, though it makes one think how much nostalgia influences the viewing of movies. Someone at avclub.com suggested that the appeal of Ghostbusters was purely nostalgic, an opinion to which I can only respond, "FIE!" Anyway, it still makes me sad that Chris Farley's choices led to an early grave. I'm incredibly intrigued to see how his version of Shrek would've come out. I like to think he would've made a few more bad movies then become a stellar character actor. Sigh...


A Nightmare on Elm Street
So I could've burnt up every space on the Ohio Top 5 with Nightmare movies (including Freddy vs Jason, which is awesome!). I even left off Jason Goes to Hell, which allegedly takes place in Youngstown just so I wouldn't overload you with horror. So, we'll just go with the best out of them all. I love the way Nightmare blurs the line between dream and reality. At any moment, the film could turn into some surreal, well, nightmare. The image that always sticks in my mind is Freddy's form pushing through the wall above a victim's bed. So creepy. Who cares if I've been afraid of Freddy Krueger for about 20 years or that I still have dreams where he pops up and leaves me afraid to return to slumber after he scares me awake because I know he kills in dreams? The movies are just so damned entertaining! Even when they get cartoony and kind of bad they are tons of fun, especially when Johnny Depp returns for a cameo Freddy's Dead (Depp also gets one of the best deaths in horror history).