10 things I really hate about our society (or, I’ve finally become a curmudgeon and like to complain about everything). Part One: Cell Phones

Last night, I was walking out of a local establishment and the woman in front of me said something. At first, I thought she was talking to me (how silly!). But then, I quickly realized she had one of those Borg-like appendages stuck in the side of her head and she was rambling on endlessly to someone on on the other end of the line. I honestly doubt she even knew I was there.

Don’t get me wrong. I think that cell phones have their place. I have a cell phone. My employer pays for mine. It’s a great convenience to be able to stay in communication with colleagues via email, texting, or actual phone calls. I can see, that for many occupations in today’s accelerated world, cell phones are a great tool that can enhance and improve productivity.

Unfortunately, cell phones are horribly abused by many who really don’t have a need for a cell phone. I don’t think the cell phone was intended to extend casual conversation into every aspect of our lives.

Cell phones have created a generation of people who are down-right inconsiderate and rude.

I’ve lost count of the traffic violations I’ve witnessed and the times I’ve been cut off or similar by someone who was chatting away with one hand glued to the side of their heads. Yes, there are times that I’ve been engaged in conversation while driving, but it has always been limited to necessary communications, rarely initiated by me, and always with a hands-free method, such as speaker phone. There have been days where the Michael Douglas* in me has wanted to ram drivers who would rather talk on the cell phone than drive responsibly. Here’s a tip: If you can’t multi-task behind the wheel, then DON’T DRIVE WHILE HOLDING A CELL PHONE TO THE SIDE OF YOUR HEAD!

I’ve also had it with people who are absorbed by their conversation that they are simply oblivious to what is going on around them. In malls, I can see people walking along talking to themselves, bumping into others, or worse, picking the single most-obtrusive place to come to a dead halt and to continue their conversation. I’ve run into people, or had to walk around people, who suddenly just stop because they simply can’t believe what auntie Em just told them. Here’s an idea. Find a nice, out-of-the-way spot, like a bench or a booth in a cafe, and then make your call. Or better yet, stay at home and call your friends.

Worse, is when I’m out to lunch, or in a meeting, or any number of other social settings, in which someone receives a call on their cell phone and they actually answer it. Talk about disrespect. Why is that thing even on? I don’t mind when someone announces ahead of time that they may need to take an incoming call - their wife is expecting, or a relative is in the hospital, etc. - but to take a call and then start blabbing away and laughing as though I wasn’t even in the room is enough to make me want to grab their phone and defenestrate it. Have some common courtesy. Either excuse yourself from the room with a courteous, “I’m very sorry, but I must take this call,” or ignore the call and turn the ringer off to avoid further interruption.

I’m sure there are a dozen other social faux pas committed with the cell phone, but these are the ones that bother me most.

Well, my blood pressure has normalized and I’m stepping off my soap box, for now. Please, talk amongst yourselves and feel free to offer your own stories of how you’ve been violated by a lack of cell phone etiquette.

(Obscure film reference to Falling Down.)

5 Favorite Concert Moments

I've seen a lot of shows. My very first was Frank Zappa at Stabler Arena in 1979. I was 15. It was an amazing show. Since then, I've seen The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Yes, Kansas, Todd Rundgren, The Tubes, and far too many others to mention and even a few I'm sure I've forgotten.

Of all the shows I've attended, here are five experiences I'll never forget.

5) Metallica, 08/07/1989 at the at the Stone Balloon, Newark, DE

I've always envied people who got to see huge acts in tiny venues. Well, this was my experience with a huge act at a tiny venue.

I thought maybe it was a misspelling or something- perhaps this was a Metallica tribute band or similar. I called the club and they confirmed that it was, in fact, the real deal and Metallica would be playing at the Stone Balloon.

The Stone Balloon was not a huge place. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but the legal capacity for the venue had to be less than 400. So when I saw an ad in a local music magazine boasting that Metallica was playing there, I called a friend, and he and I drove immediately from the main line in PA to Delaware to get the tickets - to ensure our place at this historic event.

That night, I experienced one of the loudest concerts I'd ever been to. I hung out with Pauli Slivka (Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers' bassist) right in front of the sound board. He and I took cigarette butts and jammed them in our ears to lessen the barrage.

I think Slayer opened for them that evening, but it was all about Metallica for me that night. I couldn't have asked for a better set and a more memorable setting.

4) The Tubes, Summer, 1989 at the 23 East, Ardmore, PA

The Tubes were on a small club tour with another lead singer after Fee had left the band. Now, for some, this would be a disappointment, but the core of the band, Bill Spooner, Rick Anderson, Roger Steen, Vince Welnick, and Prairie Prince - drummer extraordinaire - was intact. I'd pay almost anything to see Prairie play and to hear Bill Spooner croon. (That's Spooner in the pic.)

They played an amazing set list that night, including Pimp and Brighter Day from the Young and Rich album. Hard to believe, but Fee was barely missed.

At one moment, during I Don't Want to Wait Anymore, Bill toasted the crowd, guzzled a 12 oz., subsequently vomited behind his amp, and came in on the vocal without missing a beat- like it had been choreographed.

Afterward, I went backstage and was chatting with the band. They'd seen my band, Love Bomb, on the schedule to appear in the club later that month and wanted to know who and what it was. When I told them it was my band, they asked if we did any covers of their stuff. When I said I hadn't, Roger Steen asked, "What, does our stuff suck so much?" We had a good laugh. At least, I did.

Bill invited my band to come and record at his studio in San Francisco. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in an earthquake and we never got the chance to do so. C'est la vie.

3) Jane Siberry, 5/4/1988 at the Chestnut Cabaret, Philadelphia, PA

I'd caught Jane on MTV's 120 Minutes when she released the single, One More Colour, from her debut album, Speckless Sky. I thought she was terrific. So, imagine my surprise when I arrived one night at the Chestnut Cabaret to see a friend's band, only to walk in Jane playing live. What an unexpected surprise.

During one song, a boisterous number with a rich Latin feel (Very Large Hat, perhaps?), the band broke down into a simple quarter-note piano part. Jane came out looking like Jackie-O with the tight sleeveless dress that ended just above the knee, white gloves, and a pill-box hat. She started waving both arms back and forth with the beat, then broke into Petula Clark's Don't Sleep in the Subway. The rendition was flawless and I was floored. Then, when the song was over, they went back into the loud frenetic Latin number as quickly as they had come out of it.

I will never forget that.

2) Chris Whitley, 10/24/92 at the Chestnut Cabaret, Philadelphia, PA

I'd seen Chris with his entire band at the Trocadero in Philadelphia just six months earlier. He was touring in support of his first album, Living With the Law. That night at the "Troc," the turnout had been good and the show was great. The live versions of his tunes were spot on.

My guitarist, Sean, and I had a serious love affair going on with Chris's first album. So when we heard he was playing again so close, it was a no-brainer to go see him.

On this night at the Chestnut Cabaret, though, there were few in the audience - maybe 50 - and Chris took the stage alone. He came out with National steel Dobro and a gadget called a Stomp-box. What ensued was one of the most intimate nights of music with an amazing artist that I've ever experienced.

Chris stomped out the beat on his stomp-box while he did solo versions of every song on the Living With the Law collection, with the exception of one tune: Dust Radio. Dust Radio was Sean and my favorite song at the time and we - and the other 48 people in attendance -simply wouldn't let Chris leave without playing it.

He came out for the encore and apologized, saying that he couldn't pull it off without the band. We begged and pleaded for him to do his very best and that we would be satisfied with any rendition of the song. He relented and started playing.

I know that the parts of the arrangement he couldn't play were imagined by all of us as we swayed back and forth to the stripped down, but magical version he gave us that night.

What an amazing show.

1) King's X, 8/12/2009 at the Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA

I've seen King's X 5 or 6 times now. And every show has been great. In addition to being a kick-ass bass player and having the best voice in rock and roll, DUg Pinnick (see photo) is the pinnacle of charismatic front men - he knows how to entertain a crowd. Ty Tabor is one of the greatest guitar players alive: watching and hearing him play is mind-blowing.

I'd seen a set list online before the show and knew what to expect: along with 4 songs on their set list from their latest album, XV, the band had chosen a broad selection of material from most of their albums.

I attended the show on the 12th with my brother and two other friends. I knew my brother - also a huge King's X fan - would be happy that the band was planning to play Summerland, his favorite King's X song.

My favorite King's X song is Goldilox, a track from their first album that Ty Tabor had written. My brother loves that song, too, but unfortunately, it wasn't on the set list I'd seen before the show. It's not a song they do live very often. We've only seen them do it once before in the early 90's - and my brother and I certainly had no expectations of seeing it that night.

So, as is usual, the band was incredible. We had front row seats just behind the "cabaret" seating (a few tables and chairs immediately in front of the stage) and right in front of DUg, so our view couldn't get much better. The band played Summerland and my brother was ecstatic.

Then came the moment. DUg turned the mics out to the audience, the house lights came up, and Ty started playing the opening guitar part of Goldilox. My brother and I were in disbelief. Then, DUg motioned for the audience to start singing. 300 + people in attendance started singing every word of the song as the band played softly in the background.

DUg came off the stage and stood in front of my brother and I - a mere 2 feet away - and we all continued to sing. "I'd like to know your name and I must know who you are..."

At the end, DUg said, "The hit that never was." Someone behind me yelled, "It's a hit to us." Another yelled what we were all thinking, "Thank you for writing that song."

Sigh. Yeah, I can go in peace now.

Top 5 Movie Bad Guys OF ALL TIME...

Yes. Hannibal Lector is truly one bad dude. So is Darth Vader. And Annie Wilkes. And the Alien. And Pinhead. And, no doubt, Hans Gruber is someone we love as a bad guy. But these choices are all-so-very predictable. If I hear the fava bean quote one more time, I may be the one cracking open the Chianti.

So, for my choices, I've gone off the beaten path to call attention to some truly bad-ass characters that most folks don't know about. There are no block-buster film villains on my list. You may even have trouble finding one or two of the flicks that feature these villains.

So without further ado, may I introduce to you...

5. General Bethlehem, The Postman (1997) Directed by Kevin Costner.
Will Patton turns in an amazing performance as the Napoleonic General Bethlehem, a self-imposed ruler of what once was the northwestern United States, now a post-apocalyptic, disjointed remnant of a once-great nation. The tyrant Bethlehem leads his army across the region, raping and pillaging, taking whatever he deems necessary and forcing small towns into submission through fear, intimidation, and military might. This character is someone you absolutely love to hate. The movie drew small audiences and critics panned it, most having yet to forgive Costner for Waterworld. IMHO, this movie, however, is great - made all the better by Patton's interpretation of General Bethlehem.

4. The Interrogator, Closet Land (1991) Directed by Radha Bharadwaj.

When it comes to playing the villain, few excel like Alan Rickman. Who can forget his performance in Die Hard as Hans Gruber? Or his role as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - a performance that all but saved the film from being a total loss?

In 1991, though, Rickman starred with Madeleine Stowe in a little-known film called, Closet Land. For the most part (with the exception of one or two scenes with extras) it's just the two of them in one room. Stowe plays the author of children's books who's accused of having secretly inserted subversive messages into her work. Rickman plays the interrogator who, in turn, tries to be both good cop and bad cop to elicit a confession from Stowe's character, the victim. It's difficult to imagine a film that can draw you so far in and devastate you so deeply with only two actors on the screen the entire time. Stowe's performance is incredible, but it's Rickman who steals the show in this one, earning his spot on my list.

3. Frank, Retroactive (1997) Directed by Louis Morneau.

James Belushi is not the archetypal villain. I mean, isn't this guy a comedian? Heck, Frank thinks himself a comedian, too, though, so why not Belushi as a villain?
In this low-budget, sci-fi, time travel movie, Belushi is unforgettable as Frank, the big-mouthed, gun-totin', womanizing, Elvis-wannabe, bad-ass, Cadillac-driving Texan. Stereotype? You bet. And Belushi nails it.
A female cop has car trouble and is picked up by Frank, a small-time hood working the black market in technology. When Frank starts to suspect his wife of having an affair, things turn violent and the off-duty cop finds herself in the middle of it all.

Meanwhile, one of Frank's customers has stumbled onto a method for time travel. This all leads to the cop trying to change the outcome of Frank's rampage- over and over again, each time the outcome being worse than before.

I'm a big sci-fi and time travel movie fan, but it's Belushi's hard-core performance that makes this particular film work so well. Yeah, there's an attractive female lead and a compelling story, but you won't take your eyes off the marvel that is James Belushi's portrayal of Frank.

2. Moke, Stick (1985) Directed by Burt Reynolds.

Hunh? A Burt Reynolds film? HEY! Don't knock it 'til you've tried it! Burt plays Stick, an ex-con who vows to go straight, but gets wrapped up in a deal with one of his friends that goes bad - real bad. Suddenly, Stick finds himself a fugitive, not only from the law, but from the bad guys, too.

The lead thug for the capo is Moke, an albino cowboy with a serious attitude. All-around nice guy and stunt man Dar Robinson tackles this role. (That's Robinson in the photo, goofing around with Reynolds on the set.) I don't know if it's the creepy white eyes, or the gravelly voice, or - whatever - but Moke is intimidating in a really uncomfortable way. You get the feeling that he's just in a bad mood - always. The guy just doesn't ever smile.

This movie features a great scene where Moke is falling backwards to his death after falling from a balcony, and he shoots upward at Stick the entire time he falls - hardcore evil to the very bitter end. It's one of the best stunts Robinson ever did. The film industry lost an amazing individual when Dar died. Trust me, Robinson makes it worth the view and you won't regret seeing Stick.

1) Loren Visser, Blood Simple (1984) Directed by Joel Cohen.

In this debut film from the Cohen Brothers, M. Emmet Walsh plays the unscrupulous private detective, Loren Visser. Visser is hired to kill an adulteress and her lover, but he double-crosses and murders the husband who hired him instead. When Visser fears he may have been discovered, he decides to wrap up loose ends by killing the man's wife an her lover after all.
The twist here, is that the lovers begin to suspect each other of having killed the husband, and they are blind-sided by Visser, of whom, they knew nothing. This is an amazing modern take on film noir, and you simply have to see it if you are a film fan. Walsh will give you a new appreciation for his talent. This film actually features two amazing character actors: Walsh, and Dan Hadaya, another guy who's played his share of great villains onscreen.

One last honorable mention has to go to the truck driver in Steven Spielberg's Duel (1971). We never see the guy, but he terrifies us. Kudos to Spielberg for pulling that one off- oh, just like he did with the shark. ;)

When News Reporters Go Bad...

YIKES! I havent' posted since February?!?! I must be really busy, 'cause the Lord knows I have plenty to rant about.

One thing that really annoys me is terrible writing that comes from supposed professional writers. One place where I see it more and more is in the news headlines that come across my favorite tickers. I realize that space is at a premium, but sometimes attempts at shortening a headline actually end up changing the meaning of the headline.

And forgive me if I think that news reporters and editors actually ought to be able to write. I would imagine that these folks went to school for journalism, or something similar, paid tens of thousands of dollars for a degree, and should have little or no excuse for not being able to handle the English language.

The worst part - for me - is that most news sites make it next to impossible to offer any kind of feedback to the author, so I have little or no means to vent my frustration with this growing trend. Until now.

So without further ado, here is my first example of terrible headline writing:

From CNN: Slain NFL star's girlfriend bought gun - police

Now, this story is actually important to me because I was (am) a huge fan of Steve "Air" McNair. Few people played football with as much heart as he did. Like others following the story, I've been waiting for the police to confirm that McNair was murdered by his girlfriend and that she, afterwards, killed herself with the same gun; a sad, but all-to-common case of love scorned and turned into crime of passion, a murder-suicide.

But imagine my surprise when, this morning, I discovered not only had the girlfriend bought the gun they discovered under her body, but that she had also purchased the police!!!

What's really annoying about this headline is that the actual article says what this headline tried to say, and is actually shorter by one less character! It reads Police: Slain NFL star's girlfriend bought gun

Ah! Now I get it. The police have made a statement that the girlfriend bought a (or the) gun! Whew, imagine my relief to discover that it's not as easy to buy the police as I originally imagined.

My top 5 favorite War movies OF ALL TIME.

Again, my list, not yours. I didn't include "Apocalypse Now" "Platoon," or "Full Metal Jacket" on my list. I think they're all a little over-rated and that it's cool to like them. Personally, I have others that I prefer.

I also didn't include POW or concentration camp movies, war satires, or pre-20th century war films as I think there are enough of those films to warrant their own categories.

So, without further ado...

5) Hell's Angels (1930) Directed by Howard Hughes. Staring Jean Harlow, Ben Lyon, and James Hall.

This epic that was way over-budget -being the most expensive film ever made at the time - has some of the greatest dog fights ever put to film. Unlike many of the CGI scenes we see today, these were real men in real flyng machines, doing some of the most amazing stunts, ever, in a war movie. Surprisingly, the effects stand up well, almost 80 years later.

The first two acts are, admittedly, pretty dull, but the last 30 minutes of this film - the flying - make it worth the wait. Check it out if you haven't.

4) The Dirty Dozen (1967) Directed by Robert Aldrich. Starring Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Donald Sutherland, Jim Brown, Ernest Borgnine, and Telly Savalas.

I've seen this movie more times than I can count - I watched it every time it was on television when I was a kid - and I still love it.

Lee Marvin is perfect as the commander of this dysfunctional bunch of anti-heroes. I love the rhyme they memorize to remember the different steps of their operation. Another of my favorite scenes is the war-game.If you don't know what I'm talking about, then rent this winner. You won't be sorry.

3) The Longest Day (1962) Directed by Ken Annakin. Starring John Wayne, Henry Fonda, and Robert Mitchum.

This is the original "Saving Private Ryan." While its presentation of D-Day is less gut-wrenching, it still does a great job of telling the horrors of that day.

There's a lot more here, too, about other activities the allies were engaged in to help make the invasion successful. Probably one of Wayne's better films, and certainly his best war movie.

2) Band of Brothers (2001) Various Directors, Produced by Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Starring Damian Lewis, Donnie Wahlberg, Ron Livingston, others.

O.K. I know it's not a movie, technically. But I own this mini-series on DVD and have watched it several times.

I love the characters - many of which are based on real-life heroes - and the story-telling. The effects are incredible, as is the cinematography, the editing, and the soundtrack. If you get the chance, be sure to see this.

1) Saving Private Ryan (1998) Directed by Steven Spielberg. Starring Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, Jeremy Davies, and Matt Damon.

Bravo. I've never seen a movie that so realistically portrayed the horrors of combat. I felt like I was there on Omaha Beach that morning over 60 years ago and the things I witnessed horrified me. I just wanted it to stop. For me, "Saving Private Ryan" has set the standard by which all other combat films will be measured.

One other film of note worth mentioning is, "The Guns of Navarone."

Next up: My top 5 favorite Spy films OF ALL TIME.

My Top 5 Favorite Science Fiction Movies (OF ALL TIME!)

I had to throw in that "OF ALL TIME" bit just for kicks (imagine the cavernous echo as you say it). The reality is, my top fives change with my mood, so don't hold me to this forever. After watching the fiasco that was the Oscars last night, I've decided to write my own lists of top five movies, by category. To start off, I'm listing my top 5 favorite SCI-FI movies- OF ALL TIME.

I'm intentionally leaving alien movies off my list for another category: Alien Movies. (Well, duh!)The same is true of '50s sci-fi movies, time-travel movies, apocalyptic movies, and one-guy-kicking-everybody-else's-butts movies. These all warrant their own categories.

Now, keep in mind that these are MY top five, not yours. So I really don't want to hear about how I couldn't possibly leave "Star Wars" and "2001: A Space Odyssey" off my list. I did, because they simply don't make my top five. I like them, but quite frankly, I think they are two of the most over-rated movies, OF ALL TIME.

So here they are, in reverse order, of course, with a brief description and rational as to why they made my list.

WARNING: SPOILERS may exist beyond this point! (Darth Vader is Luke's dad and Spock dies.)

5) Blade Runner (1982) Directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, M. Emmett Walsh, Daryl Hannah, Edward James Olmos, Sean Young, Joanna Cassidy, William Sanderson, and the late, but great Brion James.

"Blade Runner," based on Philip K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" is the tale of Rick Decker, an L.A. cop in the future who is hunting down and terminating a group of genetically-engineered "humans" who have returned to earth to meet their creator after having escaped from a deep-space work colony and having killed their keepers.

A lot of people say this is the greatest sci-fi movie of all time. I will admit, at the time it was released, it forever changed the way we would imagine our future. Of course, Ridley Scott changed the way we looked at space travel with 1978's "Alien," too.

My only real criticism of this film is, like 2001, it has some really tedious moments where the pacing is just a little too slow. Also, the studio ruined the film by adding Decker's ridiculous narration to help people who "didn't get it" understand what was happening. I won't watch any version other than the director's cut for that reason.For just about everyone in the cast, this film showcases their best performances on film. (Excepting Walsh and Olmos who have done other work that is even better.)

One more thing- Ridley said it: Decker is a replicant. Get over it. (When you stop and think for a moment, he had to be, or the unicorn at the end doesn't make sense!)

4) The Matrix (1999) Directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski. Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantoliano.

The Matrix tells the tale of a future Earth that has been over-run by machines. Unawares, most humans are tied into a giant network where the energy their body innately generates is used to power the machine world. These humans live out their lives in a computer program where they believe life goes on as it always has.

This movie blew me away the first time I saw it, and it still does. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this film, except that the sequels which followed it were far beneath the same level of story-telling that this first film achieved. The special effects in this film are awesome, too, but the story is unparalleled in science fiction movies.

3) The War of the Worlds (1953) Directed by Byron Haskin. Starring Gene Barry and Anne Robinson.

Based on H.G. Wells novel, this remains my favorite film version of this story. I loved Steven Spielberg's version, too, but it still takes a back seat to this 50's sci-fi classic. (Yes, it will be on my list of top 5 favorite 50's sci-fi films OF ALL TIME. Sheesh.)

The story basically revolves around a Martian invasion of Earth. All of mankind is doomed as the Martians move from one city to the next in indestructible hovering machines, destroying everything in their path. Man can do nothing to stop them. Even our most powerful weapon - the atomic bomb - has no effect on them and cannot penetrate their defensive shields. In the end, as our heroes are huddled in a church awaiting their own death, it is the microbes and the Viruses on earth to which the Martians succumb.

The acting in this film is over the top, but there are some indelible scenes and the story - which gives a nod to the Divine as the ultimate savior of mankind - is just great. Even the special effects still stand up to today's scrutiny. Great- and chilling - stuff.

2) The Fifth Element (1997) Directed by Luc Besson. Starring Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, Brion James, and Chris Carter.

Without a doubt, several of the reasons I love this film are the art direction, production design, soundtrack, and the costuming.

I've always been a big fan of Bruce Willis, too, who puts in a great performance as Korben Dallas, former space marine turned cab-driver who is down on his luck. Leeloo, played by Milla Jovovich lands in his cab, literally. Dallas must help Leeloo, the Fifth Element, complete her mission: to save Earth from a fast-approaching moon-sized ball of evil.

Jovovich is terrific in this role, having created a never-before heard language for her character, adding to her overall believability. Chris Carter adds the comic-relief as an over-the-top radio personality, and Oldman puts in another great bad-guy performance as Zorg, the guy in league with the approaching evil.

I love the sets, the costumes, the music, the special effects, the story- shall I go on? This is simply one of the greatest sci-fi films OF ALL TIME.

1) Planet of the Apes (1968) Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. Starring Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowell, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, and Linda Harrison.

Deep-space pioneer Captain George Taylor finds himself stranded in the distant future (the 36th century or so) on a planet where humans are primitive and mute, and the Apes (Chimps, Orangutans, and Gorillas) are the higher-evolved beings who treat humans like animals. Of course, we learn in the end that Taylor isn't really so far from home, but that he is actually still on Earth, just in a distant and twisted future.

In addition to the incredible make-up effects created by John Chambers and his team, this film is raised to a level all its own by the social commentary, the great time travel story, and Heston's incredible performance. I never tire of this movie, or its sequels that expand on and explore the paradoxes of time travel like no other films have ever done before. They also deal with a post-nuclear apocalypse that, at the time, fed on my fears of nuclear war being a real possibility.

Admittedly, the sequels aren't as good as this first film (although I consider "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" to be the second half of the first film), but they do build on the mythology and raise the ultimate question of, "What came first, the chicken of the egg?"
And I love the dialog: "Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!" How can you beat that?

So that's my top 5 sci-fi films OF ALL TIME. Next up: My top 5 war movies OF ALL TIME.

Never watching them again...

Year after year, after year, I swear I am never watching the Oscars again. I watched most of them last evening, and I am, again, disgusted with the liberal, left-wing bias that makes Hollywood the cess pool it is.
I mean it this time: I am never watching the Oscars again.
Nor will I ever pay money again to watch a Sean Penn movie. The thought that my hard-earned dollar might go into his pockets, disgusts me.
Mickey- sorry that you didn't get what you so obviously deserved.