Flick Pick: The Hanoi Hilton

The Hanoi Hilton
(Cannon, 1987)

Cheery tale about the tender loving care and treatment delivered by the North Vietnamese to those that fell into their hands, including their special bamboo yoga chiropractic program, and their diligent efforts to reeducate poor misguided pilot officers and a few others who managed to survive initial capture. For those who can't get to military SERE school, and always wondered what to expect during the Resistance phase, this should cover that briefing. The characters are all fictional ones, the treatment, if anything, sugar coated compared to the reality. For those still carrying a torch for the brave communist people's forces in the peace-loving democratic republic of (then North) Vietnam, this should be your intro.
Independent film, because Hollywood had neither the courage nor the honesty to confront the truth about the side they supported from '65-forever, and the DVD release in 2008 was held up by Warner Brothers' current crop of Cong apologists until our current turd was safely ensconced in the White House. Life imitates art yet again.

Flick Pick: The Green Berets

The Green Berets
(Warner Bros., 1968)

Moby Dick, the Great White Whale itself, that Vietnam movie.
The one loosely based on Robin Moore's kickass book.
(Of which, I'd still like to see a movie or three made.)
The one that pissed off hordes of Hollywood artsy-fartsy trendy leftists all to hell - for decades, got dissed by critics up the yazoo, and called cheesey, populist, knee-jerk, brainwashed hyper-American hawkish anti-communism, blah blah blahbitty blah. And probably still sets Jane Fonda's teeth on edge.(Huzzah!)
Wayne also co-directed it, returning over triple the production budget of $7M for a $21.7M gross in an era when $1 tickets were common, and passed up the starring role as Major Reisman in The Dirty Dozen to make this movie. And still had time to win a Best Actor Oscar the next year (wearing an eyepatch) at the tender age of 62.
Bottom line, it still rocks, it turned out to be far more truth in one work of fiction than any five other revisionist versions of the Vietnam War, both at the time and in hindsight, and did we mention that it rocks, not least of which because of Barry Sadler's ballad, Jim Hutton, David Janssen, Aldo Ray, Luke Askew, George Takei, Raymond St. Jacques, Patrick Wayne, America, apple pie, Green Berets, and John by-God Wayne.

Suck it, communist pigs.

Flick Pick: Hamburger Hill

Hamburger Hill
(RKO, 1987)

Unlike Platoon, victim of Oliver Stone's hashpipe fantasies, this flick comes far closer to telling everyman's experiences in Vietnam by focusing on a real event, in this case an actual battle from May of 1969. Great actors doing the big things and the small things well, attention to details, and a location setting where you feel like you're there, rather than trying to double for the location, badly.

Flick Pick: The Boys In Company C

The Boys In Company C
(Columbia, 1978)

Filmed only a couple years after the final fall of South Vietnam, while the feelings were still fresh and raw, this is a grittier version of war standards like Catch-22 or M*A*S*H*, with Stan Shaw, Andrew Stevens, and James Whitmore Jr. trying to maintain their sanity in an insane place. Also introduces archtypical Drill Instructor R. Lee Ermey to the big screen, when he was fresh from Vietnam too, discovered more or less accidentally as an ex-pat living in the Phillipines, where the entire movie was filmed.

Flick Pick: Escape From New York

Escape From New York
(Avco Embassy, 1981)

Kurt Russell, at the beginning of his second career (far from the Disney image) as the baddest gunslinger in town. John Carpenter made this flick, shot mostly in St. Louis, for a budget that today would be virtually financing using your credit cards, and cast some great talent to populate the federal prison of New York.

Flick Pick: Escape From Alcatraz

Escape From Alcatraz
(Paramount, 1979)

Slick production with Clint Eastwood playing a convict instead of a cop, cinematically recreating what was probably the only successful escape from Alcatraz, shortly before it was closed as a prison.

Flick Pick: The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption
(Columbia, 1994)

Continuing in the vein of prison break flicks, this absolute American masterpiece, one of the few cinematic versions of Stephen King's works I can stand to watch, done brilliantly from beginning to end by Morgan Freeman, Tim Robbins, Clancy Brown, James Whitmore in his last major film role, and a truly wonderful supporting cast.

Flick Picks: 48 Hrs., and Out Of Sight

Tomorrow's pick (1/24/2014)
Out Of Sight
(Universal, 1998)

Long before Danny Ocean came along, Steven Soderbergh teamed with George Clooney to produce a character at the height of cool, coincidentally providing the only cinematic evidence in existence to date that Jennifer Lopez can act, and entwining them, both figuratively and literally, in one of the best cops-and-robbers romances ever made. It also marked the beginning of David Jones doing Soderbergh's soundtracks after a serendipitous pairing by producer Danny DeVito, a collaboration that delights the ear as well as the eye.
 


Today's Pick (1/23/2014):
48 Hrs.
(Paramount, 1982)

Action comedy that provided the template for every buddy cop movie for the next twenty years, with Nick Nolte's boozy mean brokedown cop providing the action, and introducing to the big screen Eddie Murphy as his convict partner for the comedy, at which he blew the doors off. Paramount then-chief Michael Eisner told Walter Hill that Murphy's character wasn't funny enough, which led to continual script rewrites to the last day of shooting, and studio executives told Hill that the gunfights were so violent he'd killed the comedy, and thus he would never work for Paramount again.

Confirming their (lack of) perspicacity, the film earned over $78M in box office on a $12M budget, just over 6 times its production cost, and Hill only made 2 more films for Paramount, including the sequel Another 48 Hours, which only grossed 5 times its production costs, and he instead spent the bulk of his career putting about a billion dollars into the coffers of Paramount's competitors at 20th Century Fox, Universal, Miramax, and United Artists for movies like Brewster's Millions, Red Heat, and producing Alien and all its sequels. Nice call, geniuses.

Flick Pick: Streets Of Fire

Streets Of Fire
(Universal, 1985)

A rock and roll fable that was truly years ahead of its time and audience, featuring Diane Lane in glorious color at all of 18 years of age, providing early glimpses of actors Rick Moranis, Amy Madigan, Willem Dafoe, Bill Paxton, Robert Townsend, Mykelti Williamson, and Ed Begley Jr., as well as launching a Top Ten hit with "I Can Dream About You". As a visually gripping hour and a half action/dramedy/music video it's one of a kind, but it was buried at the box office, not least of which because Universal had no idea how to sell it once they had it in the can. And being a Walter Hill film, there's a bus.

Flick Pick: The Warriors

The Warriors
(Paramount, 1979)

Backed by a studio literally too scared to promote it, this film tripled its box office over its budget strictly on word of mouth, and the Walter Hill gang pic became one of the biggest cult films of all time. "Can you dig it?"

It Could Never Happen Here

This is just my imagination. No one would ever seriously suggest this. Well, almost no one.

A Proposed Final Solution To The Conservative Problem In America:

The Director of Homeland Security has given a short report of the struggle which has been carried on thus far against these terrorists, the essential points being the following:

a) the expulsion of Conservatives from every sphere of life of the American people,

b) the expulsion of the Conservatives from the living space of the American people.

In carrying out these efforts, an increased and planned acceleration of the emigration of the Conservatives from Homeland territory was started, as the only possible present solution.

By order of the Attorney General, a Homeland Central Office for Conservative Emigration will be set up in and the Director of Homeland Security will be entrusted with the management. Its most important tasks will be:

a) to make all necessary arrangements for the preparation for an increased emigration of the Conservatives,

b) to direct the flow of emigration,

c) to speed the procedure of emigration in each individual case.

The aim of all this is to cleanse American living space of Conservatives in a legal manner.

All government and party offices realize the drawbacks of such enforced accelerated emigration. For the time being they will, however, tolerate it on account of the lack of other possible solutions of the problem.

 

The following guidelines will be enforced immediately.

1) Treatment of Persons of Mixed Loyalties of the First Degree

Persons of mixed loyalty of the first degree will, as regards the Final Solution of the Conservative question, be treated as Conservatives.

From this treatment the following exceptions will be made:

a) Persons of mixed loyalties of the first degree married to persons of Progressive loyalty if their marriage has resulted in children (persons of mixed loyaltiy of the second degree). These persons of mixed loyalty of the second degree are to be treated essentially as Progressives.

b) Persons of mixed loyalty of the first degree, for whom the highest offices of the Democrat Party and State have already issued exemption permits in any sphere of life. Each individual case must be examined, and it is not ruled out that the decision may be made to the detriment of the person of mixed loyalty.

The prerequisite for any exemption must always be the personal merit of the person of mixed loyalty. (Not the merit of the parent or spouse of Progressive loyalty.)

Persons of mixed loyalty of the first degree who are exempted from evacuation will be sterilized in order to prevent any offspring and to eliminate the problem of persons of mixed loyalty once and for all. Such sterilization will be voluntary. But it is required to remain in the Homeland. The sterilized "person of mixed loyalty" is thereafter free of all restrictions to which he was previously subjected.

2) Treatment of Persons of Mixed Loyalty of the Second Degree

Persons of mixed loyalty of the second degree will be treated fundamentally as persons of Progressive loyalty, with the exception of the following cases, in which the persons of mixed loyalty of the second degree will be considered as Conservatives:

a) The person of mixed loyalty of the second degree was born of a marriage in which both parents are persons of mixed loyalty.

b) The person of mixed loyalty of the second degree has a socially especially undesirable appearance that marks him outwardly as a Conservative.

c) The person of mixed loyalty of the second degree has a particularly bad police and political record that shows that he feels and behaves like a Conservative.

Also in these cases exemptions should not be made if the person of mixed loyalty of the second degree has married a person of Progressive loyalty.

3) Marriages between Full Conservatives and Persons of Progressive Loyalty.

Here it must be decided from case to case whether the Conservative partner will be evacuated or whether, with regard to the effects of such a step on the Progressive relatives, [this mixed marriage] should be sent to an old ­age ghetto.

4) Marriages between Persons of Mixed Loyalty of the First Degree and Persons of Progressive Loyalty.

a) Without Children.

If no children have resulted from the marriage, the person of mixed loyalty of the first degree will be evacuated or sent to an old­ age ghetto (same treatment as in the case of marriages between full Conservatives and persons of Progressive loyalty, point 3.)

b) With Children.

If children have resulted from the marriage (persons of mixed loyalty of the second degree), they will, if they are to be treated as Conservatives, be evacuated or sent to a ghetto along with the parent of mixed loyalty of the first degree. If these children are to be treated as Progressives (regular cases), they are exempted from evacuation as is therefore the parent of mixed loyalty of the first degree.

5) Marriages between Persons of Mixed Loyalty of the First Degree and Persons of Mixed Loyalty of the First Degree or Conservatives.

In these marriages (including the children) all members of the family will be treated as Conservativess and therefore be evacuated or sent to an old ­age ghetto.

6) Marriages between Persons of Mixed Loyalty of the First Degree and Persons of Mixed Loyalty of the Second Degree.

In these marriages both partners will be evacuated or sent to an old age ghetto without consideration of whether the marriage has produced children, since possible children will as a rule have stronger Conservative loyalties than the Conservative person of mixed loyalty of the second degree.

 

Let the "evacuations" begin, make up your lists, and fill the trains as soon as possible, combing the Homeland from East to West to rid us of this plague on our people once and for all.

 

One Leader!

One Homeland!

One People!

 

 

Flick Pick: Conspiracy

Conspiracy
(HBO, 2001)

Seventy-two years ago today, Reinhard Heydrich and his deputy, Adolf Eichmann, both of the Nazi SS/RSHA, convened a baker's dozen of mid-level German ministers and bureaucrats. All were hard-corps Nazi true believers, to a man. At a fine house in a quiet Berlin suburb, they all sat down to a pleasant buffet lunch and cheerfully agreed to the outlines and skid-greasing to undertake the extermination of nearly 6 million Jews, 3 million Russian POWs, 2 million Poles, 1 1/2 million gypsies, as well as the crippled, Freemasons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Slavs, homosexuals, German communists, and the few remnants of anti-fascism in Spain. Dramatized in this chilling presentation (the actual dialogue of the meeting minutes were deliberately edited and coded into inoffensive sounding vagueries) by a pantheon of talented actors (Kenneth Branagh won an Emmy for this portrayal as Heydrich, Stanley Tucci as Eichmann received a Golden Globe), shot in the very rooms where it actually took place, the off-handed casualness of plotting the mass genocide of some 11-14 million people inspires jaw-dropping awe at the depths of human depravity. The message isn't only that the Nazis were evil then; it's that any such group could be again.

Flick Pick: The Ox-Bow incident

The Ox-Bow Incident
(20th Cent. Fox, 1943)

Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Harry Morgan, and an up-and-coming high school drop-out named Anthony Quinn, in the classic western tale of vigilante justice gone wrong.

Flick Pick: True Lies

True Lies
(20th Cent. Fox, 1994)

Great spy action comedy, with the unbeatable team of Schwarzenegger and Cameron, from back when movies weren't afraid to portray Muslim fanatics as bad guys.

JUSTICE!!!!!!!

Link  (h/t to  disorderlycna)

"David Eckert, who was given three enemas as part of a humiliating search after a routine traffic stop last year, has received a $1.6 million settlement from a county and city in New Mexico.
Lawyers from the city of Deming and Hidalgo County agreed to the settlement earlier this week.
"It was medically unethical and unconstitutional," his lawyer, Shannon Kennedy, told the Associated Press. "He feels relieved that this part is over and believes this litigation might make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else."
...

Eckert's suit also named Gila Medical Center and the doctors who performed the search there; that portion of the case is still ongoing."

* Still no word on suspension/firing/prosecution of the officers for aggravated sexual battery, or shooting Trixie The Incompetent Drug Dog in the head before he alerts on another dozen innocent victims.
*  IANAL, but I don't think, as counsel for plaintiff, the first words about your client after this ordeal should be "He feels relieved...". Just saying.
*  And the docs and dickheads (but I repeat myself) are liable to be paying a lot more than $1.6M, especially now that the police and county have rolled over on this thing, and went full chicken long before a jury got anywhere near this case.
* Still no word on revoking medical licenses, and prosecuting every member of the medical staff who assisted for aggravated sexual battery.

But this'll do for a start.
So hey, Deming PD (and we use the term "PD" loosely), how does it feel to have a courthouse rammed up your @$$es??

Flick Pick: Lord Of The Rings - Return Of The King

Lord Of The Rings - Return Of The King
(New Line, 2003)

The triumphant conclusion to this epic saga, an unmitigated success, this time nominated for and winning all eleven Oscars it was up for, including Best Picture, and Best Director for Peter Jackson - one of the few times even the Oscar is an understatement - and managing to rake in $1.1 billion worldwide along the way.
(Hopefully, somewhere, two dozen development execs who likely turned the project down over the years quietly sobbed in soul-crushed agony before slitting their wrists.)
Oh, and it's also a great flick.

Media Caught With Pants Down, Felon In Possession Arrested

You may possibly remember Tyler Smith. He was first noted on NatGeoTV's "Doomsday Preppers" in November of last year, letting Mr. And Mrs. American prepper know that he and his posse of thundertards were going to survive by coming to your house, killing you, and eating your stuff.

Evidently, Mr. Smith has some wee experience with that line of endeavor:

LINK

"When Tyler Smith of Buckley appeared on National Geographic's reality show "Doomsday Preppers" he did so with rifle in hand. Smith, 26, shoots at targets and tests homemade body armor while narrating his exploits for the camera.

The problem is, Smith is a felon, convicted of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes and theft. He's not supposed to go anywhere near a gun.
"Even if he doesn't own the guns, he can't handle, have those weapons, fire them (or) possess them in any way," said Pierce County Sheriff's Detective Ed Troyer.

He also bragged for the camera about his plans to raid and loot other doomsday preppers' supplies when the end times came. "All your shiny AR's your high powered .308 rifles, your 50,000 rounds of ammo are all going to be ours", Smith warned.

Pierce county investigators say it was those claims, and Smith's brazen use of firearms on camera that landed him back in jail. "What led us to this guy was himself. He put himself on TV and in newspaper articles and he did things that scared the neighbor," said Troyer.

Smith is a level one sex offender following his conviction in King county in 2009, but he has not registered with law enforcement since his move to Pierce county. Troyer said he could face an additional charge of failing to register as a sex offender."

So, evidently, his age is also his IQ.

First off, I rightfully bag on officious jackholes with badges when appropriate, so it warms my heart to give the fine investigators in this case a hearty and well-deserved "Attaboy!"

And BTW, let's also give a well-earned "Douchebags Of The Decade Award" to the crack(-smoking) production staff and executives responsible at NatGeoTV's Doomsday Preppers, for putting a two-time convicted felon thief and sex offender on national TV, and trying to shoehorn him in alongside the sort of folks who put back a case of canned goods and supplies to ride out a hurricane or tornado.

Nice going, ASSHOLES!

If, a la Jim Zumbo and Dick Metcalf, you'd perhaps like to let them know what you think of their notable efforts to put felons and sex offenders on national TV and equate them with average gun owners and/or preppers, you can reach them at:

National Geographic Society
1145 17th Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036-4688

National Geographic TV
feedback@natgeotv.com
1(202) 912-6500.

Doomsday Preppers
c/o Sharp Entertainment
Alan Madison }
Kathleen Cromley }Exec producers
Matt Sharp }
info@sharpentertainment.com
1(212)784-7770
1(212)784-7778 (fax)

Contact them early, and often.
Particularly if you have school-age children, and would like to congratulate the National Geographic Society for giving a national forum to a convicted sex offender, and observing that you'll be bringing notice of same up to, well, whatever religious, children's, or media advocacy group(s) you feel might be appropriate to notify. Perhaps including your local congressman, and theirs. A little lava in their breakfast should warm up their winter's day.
Cheers.

Flick Pick: Lord Of The Rings - The Two Towers

Lord Of The Rings - The Two Towers
(New Line, 2002)

Continuation of the tale of Middle Earth, the most well-received and successful film of the year, earning another pair of Oscars, and another nine-tenths of a billion dollars worldwide, while moving the story across its middle, and setting up the final climactic events of the final installment.

Flick Pick: Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring

Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring
(New Line, 2001)

Between Peter Jackson and a brilliant cast's perfect portrayal of this story of good vs. evil, and premiering just 3 months after 9/11, the film that started it all immediately vaulted to the heights of screen epics, earning four Oscars, around 8/10ths of a billion dollars in receipts, and the undying thanks of millions of fans of Tolkien's novel over the last half century.

Flick Pick: The Hobbit- The Battle Of The Five Armies

The Hobbit - The Battle Of The Five Armies
(New Line/MGM, 2014)

At this point it's a unicorn, (albeit reliably sighted and photographed) but I'm listing the final sequel to the series due out this coming Christmas to my list, because as noted yesterday, Peter Jackson is not only the only director in cinematic history to deliver one flawlessly epic trilogy, but based on the evidence thus far, is set to repeat that triumph when this one concludes at the end of the year. Coupled with what will certainly be a most satisfying conclusion to this trip, I have no qualms about posting this one 11 months in advance. As far as J. R. R. Tolkien's works are concerned, Peter Jackson is the son and heir born fifty years out of time that Tolkien didn't have, and has delivered audience satisfaction and commensurate box office gross like most directors don't accomplish in fifty years of ceaseless effort. Talent like this doesn't grow on trees, but thank heavens it grows in New Zealand, and in my lifetime.

Flick Pick: The Hobbit - The Desolation Of Smaug

The Hobbit - The Desolation Of Smaug
(New Line/MGM, 2013)

Currently still in wide release, the second film from The Hobbit in what morphed into another trilogy. Once again, rendered with excellence, even if this outing has much in common with The Empire Strikes Back in terms of leaving everyone hanging, but with it, Jackson has emerged all alone, besting even Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola in bringing not just three, but to this point, five worthy sequential movies to screen. (Even Spielberg couldn't get three good Indiana Jones movies, and Coppola could only manage two good Godfather flicks.)

Welcome To Your Future

A liberal/progressive "paradise" would be a place where everyone gets free housing, free food, free utilities, free education, free comprehensive healthcare, guaranteed employment, and only law enforcement has guns. Such a place already exists right here in America now. We call it "prison".

Flick Pick: The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey
(New Line/MGM, 2012)

Chronologically the first in the series of films of J. R. R.Tolkien's epicly crafted Middle Earth, rendered to near cinematic perfection by Peter Jackson.

Flick Pick: Monty Python & The Holy Grail

Monty Python & The Holy Grail
(Python Pictures, 1975)

Sword and sorcery farce made virtually on credit cards at the time, with a box office gross of some $128M to date, and spawner of more fan-repeated movie lines than any other film in English-speaking cinema history, this glorious comedy exists to remind us that Camelot was indeed a silly place. 

Flick Pick: The Lion In Winter

The Lion In Winter
(Avco Embassy, 1968)

Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn in a magnificent display of talent, both at the height of their powers, in this film based on the stage play of the same name. Nominated for seven Oscars, and winning three, including the third (of four lifetime) for Best Actress to Hepburn. Also introducing a new kid named Anthony Hopkins to film. "To be alive, king, and fifty!" Indeed.

Flick Pick: The Scarlet Pimpernel

The Scarlet Pimpernel
(London Films/CBS, 1982)

Anthony Andrews in the title role, with Jane Seymour his wife, and a long pre-Gandalf Ian MacKellen as the evil Chauvelin. A good story well done all the way 'round, if you like that sort of thing, and with Percy Blakeney as the literary archtype for every hero-with-a-secret-identity tale ever since.

Flick Pick: Les Miserables

Les Miserables
(ITC, 1978)

Long before it was made into a musical, the Victor Hugo masterpiece, in this instance with Richard Jordan as a superb Valjean, and Anthony Perkins playing Jauvert with precision, all thankfully without a shred of singing or choreography.

Flick Pick: A Tale Of Two Cities

ATale Of Two Cities
(Hallmark, 1980)

A latter day version of Dickens' classic story set amongst the Reign Of Terror during the French Revolution. The best version made since MGM's 1935 film (which is itself a bit long in the tooth), this time with Chris Sarandon playing the lookalikes of Darney and Carton.

Presidential Decree # 3,416,821

My history instructors, from grammar school through university, including any number of bat-guano crazy liberal idiots, were pretty adamant that we began the overthrow of monarchy hereabouts in 1776. Yet our current philosopher-king manchild seems pretty certain he can rule by fiat, and has done so for 5 years while Congress both metaphorically and probably in actual fact collectively sits with its thumbs inserted in the space normally reserved for their craniums to be stored.

So I'm pretty certain somebody is lying about something.

If memory serves, rule by fiat decree didn't even work out for the psychotic loon in the Harry Potter books. But as always, unlike real life, fiction has to make sense.

Flick Pick: The Count Of Monte Cristo

The Count Of Monte Cristo
(ITC, 1975)

Another British TV movie version, again with Richard Chamberlain and Louis Jordan, and adding great supporting performances from Trevor Howard, Donald Pleasance, and Tony Curtis. They can't get their trains to run on time, but they can produce these kinds of A-list productions for TV when we were treated to such cultural high-water marks as Charlie's Angels and The Dukes Of Hazzard, and 40 years later there still isn't a studio in Hollywood that seems able to produce a movie remake of this fit for viewing by man nor beast. Enjoy the best and skip the rest.

Flick Pick: The Man In The Iron Mask

The Man In The Iron Mask
(ITC, 1977)

Starring Richard Chamberlain as hero/villain, and Louis Jourdan as a much older Musketeer D'Artagnan. This was originally a British made-for-TV movie, yet easily surpasses in quality both prior and regrettable subsequent efforts to reduce another Dumas classic to film, with a stellar supporting cast, and shot on multiple locations in France from the original story.

Flick Pick: The Four Musketeers

The Four Musketeers
(20th Cent. Fox, 1974)

One way to save money and avoid a crappy sequel is to shoot two (or more) movies simultaneously. It's also a way to make yourself infamous in film history, and get a special clause in every SAG contract ever since to preclude such shenanigans in future. Welcome to the movie that did all that.

Flick Pick: The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers
(20th Cent. Fox ,1973)

Michael York, Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain, and Frank Finlay having rollicking good fun in the title roles of this comedrama, with Charlton Heston, Faye Dunnaway, Christopher Lee, and Raquel Welch backing them up. This is certainly the most enjoyable and well-crafted (if not most strictly accurate) version of Messr. Dumas' literary classic tale of swordplay and intrigue among the French court in the time of Louis XIII.

Flick Pick: Slap Shot

Slap Shot
(Universal, 1977)

When almost no one was looking in the late '70s, Paul Newman and director George Roy Hill snuck up to PA and made one of the funniest sports comedies of all time.

Flick Pick: Stranger than Fiction

Stranger Than Fiction
(Columbia, 2006)

Talent-laden comedy with Will Ferrell, a hilarious deadpan straight man, as the only one able to hear a reclusive murder novelist (Emma Thompson) narrating his life...and impending death. Funny, touching, absolutely brilliant, and not to be missed.