Scrooged, 1988

Directed by Richard Donner
Written by Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue (from some old thing that Charles Dickens wrote)
Starring Bill Murray, Karen Allen, Bobcat Goldthwait

This is not everyone's favorite, nor is it everyone's favorite Bill Murray movie (surely that's Groundhog Day), nor is it everyone's favorite Christmas move (surely that's It's a Wonderful Life, in a crowded field). However, I watch it basically every year. It's heart is in the right place, even if (as the New York Times would say) Mr. Murray and director Richard Donner had disagreements about the tone. Besides, it's friggin' Bill Murray as Scrooge -- what more could one ask for? There are lots of good lines, many delightful supporting performances, and, like the original Scrooge, he gets the message, so it has the Christmas spirit.

One bit that I especially enjoy (partly because the waiter is played by Tony Steedman, also known for playing Socrates in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure) and features a little primer in proper grammar:

Frank Cross (Bill Murray): "Are you him? Are you him?"
Waiter (Tony Steedman) shakes his head: "Are you he?"

Scrooged at IMDB.

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The places to hear from me:
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Movies - Old Movies and New with Josh Lubarr
Politics - Progressive Politics (per Josh Lubarr)
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Favorite movies - The Pantheon
Me generally - Josh Lubarr's web site extraordinaire
Also also - Josh's Part of lubarr.com

Scarface, 1932

Starring Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, and George Raft
Directed Howard Hawks and Richard Rosson
Written by Ben Hecht and related work by a lot of other people

This is a classic tale of mobsters going from bad to worse during prohibition. Paul Muni (mostly unknown now) turns in quite a performance as Tony Camonte; George Raft is his best friend; and Ann Dvorak is Cesca, his sister. It goes from being a gangster movie to something almost Shakespearean at the end. There's a scene near the end where people "talk past" each other until one of them realizes what's happening, which is almost unimaginable to see in a movie like this. Certainly worth it for that, if not strictly for its historical value in the history of gangster movies.

Scarface at IMDB.

Rinaldo (George Raft) and Tony (Paul Muni)

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The places to hear from me:
Food - josh lubarr food stuff
Geekiness - geekiness(josh lubarr)
Movies - Old Movies and New with Josh Lubarr
Politics - Progressive Politics (per Josh Lubarr)
Silliness and comedy - Le Repository du Silliness, avec Josh Lubarr
Favorite movies - The Pantheon
Me generally - Josh Lubarr's web site extraordinaire
Also also - Josh's Part of lubarr.com

The Asphalt Jungle, 1950

Directed by John Huston
Written by Ben Maddow and John Huston
Starring Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, and Jean Hagen

A really fine movie. It's worth seeing just for Sterling Hayden, but the whole thing excels. The script is great, it looks great, the acting is great. It's said to be one of the first heist movies, and it makes you understand how the whole sub-genre could come from it. As a side note for comedy fans, if you're wondering how to stop seeing Louis Calhern only as Trentino (see below) from Duck Soup or Jean Hagen (also see below) only as Lina Lamont from Singin' in the Rain, this movie will do it. Finally, if you want to see how good acting can be disturbing without being the least bit explicit, wait for the scene with Sam Jaffe as (Doc Riedenschneider) near the end.

Finally, Stanley Kubrick must have really liked this movie. See The Killing for why I think that.

The Asphalt Jungle at IMDB.

P.S. If you've forgotten who Trentino is, he's the one on the right:

If you've forgotten who Lina Lamont is (again, on the right -- in the white, not the cop):

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The places to hear from me:
Food - josh lubarr food stuff
Geekiness - geekiness(josh lubarr)
Movies - Old Movies and New with Josh Lubarr
Politics - Progressive Politics (per Josh Lubarr)
Silliness and comedy - Le Repository du Silliness, avec Josh Lubarr
Favorite movies - The Pantheon
Me generally - Josh Lubarr's web site extraordinaire
Also also - Josh's Part of lubarr.com

Idiocracy, 2006

Directed by Mike Judge
Written by Etan Cohen and Mike Judge
Starring Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph

This is a really funny, genuinely subversive, dystopian comedy. The script is great, and it's full of quotable lines. The conception of the future rings true, which is why it's so funny, and yet actually creepy and off-putting under further scrutiny. The music is delightful. Luke Wilson is completely on the money as the everyman who is elevated by the decline of everything around him, and continually appalled by what he sees. And it has that Mad-magazine (or perhaps Doug Kenney), "every detail is funny" look. Yes, there are plot holes and things don't make sense, but just watch as if you were from the future and you won't notice those. Or watch these to obliterate your memory.

And it's in The Pantheon.

Also, you can tell that Jon Stewart loves this movie. 
 

(L-R: Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary
of Education, Secretary of Commerce, Attorney General)

 
Idiocracy at IMDB.


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The places to hear from me:
Food - josh lubarr food stuff
Geekiness - geekiness(josh lubarr)
Movies - Old Movies and New with Josh Lubarr
Politics - Progressive Politics (per Josh Lubarr)
Silliness and comedy - Le Repository du Silliness, avec Josh Lubarr
Favorite movies - The Pantheon
Me generally - Josh Lubarr's web site extraordinaire
Also also - Josh's Part of lubarr.com