Let’s start with the ones old enough to qualify for AARP cards in 2025.
‘Jaws’
"Jaws" turns 50 this summer. It's quite possibly the greatest film ever made. Scoff if you will, but what other film is as beautifully shot and directed and has a (pardon the pun) jaw-dropping score and a fantastic screenplay? Add in how the three lead actors all have scene-stealing speeches and you have, at the very least, a solid argument why the first true summer blockbuster is also the greatest movie ever. I can and will go on and on as it gets closer to the release date in the summer, but this list would simply not be worth your time if I didn’t mention the movie that truly put Steven Spielberg on the movie-making map. Jaws is worth a trip down memory lane and then some because it can still scare the pants off you, take you on an adventure and make you long for Amity Island. Long live Bruce the Shark and remember the Orca.Iconic quote: “You’re going to need a bigger boat.”
‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’
Also turning 50 is a movie that captured my heart a bit later than "Jaws": the Ken Kesey novel turned cinematic masterpiece "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest." What makes this one the most memorable is the acting chops that light up the screen. Jack Nicholson (R.P. McMurphy) and Louise Fletcher (Nurse Ratched) are absolutely at the top of their games while locked into a classic battle of wills. This unforgettable film by Milos Forman is chock full of triumph, despair, loneliness and ultimately, hope, but it's also not for the faint of heart as it deals with some of the harsh realities of the mental health world in the early 1970s. Brad Dourif turns in a command performance as Billy Bibbit, and look for early performances from "Taxi" alumni Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd.Iconic quote: “Medication time…”
‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’
As we leave 1975, it's imperative to mention the funniest film of that year, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." It was actually released before the two previously mentioned films, but it continues to be one of the most hilarious films of all time. Personally, I can’t count how many times I rented it back in the day when going to the video store was a regular occurrence, but it was more than enough to engrain “'Tis but a flesh wound” in my brain forever. If you don’t like this film, I fart in your general direction. If you would like to see "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" in the theater, Fathom Entertainment is rereleasing the film to the big screen on May 4 and 7.Iconic quote: “Brave, brave Sir Robin.”
In many ways, it's hard to believe that 1985 was 40 years ago. As vibrant as those three films from 1975 seem, they do seem a lot older than the next three films.
‘Pee Wee’s Big Adventure’
When "Pee Wee’s Big Adventure" came out in 1985, I saw it in the theater about 10 times. At 15, I didn’t just want to get mixed up with Pee Wee — I wanted to be him. There was something so punk rock about Pee Wee in a snarky, nerdy, man-boy kind of way. The young lady I was dating at the time would constantly ask me to imitate the voice of Paul Reubens' famous character, and I was always quick to (probably poorly) oblige. Somehow, I lost that ability over the years, but watching the 1985 film always puts a smile on my face, even if Reubens did become something of a punchline after an arrest for indecent exposure in a porn theater in Florida in 1991. Just like Pee Wee rebounds after his quest to retrieve the coolest bicycle in the world during the film, the late Reubens rebounded, and the legacy of his most famous work lives on.Iconic quote: “You don’t want to get mixed up with a guy like me. I’m a loner, Dottie ... a rebel.”
‘After Hours’
Not long after my junior year of high school began, the most underrated of all the films directed by Martin Scorsese (yes, the taxi drivin’, ragin’ bull, motherfucker himself) came out to what seemed like very little fanfare at the time. "After Hours" is a dark, fairly twisted, rollercoaster ride of paranoia, angst and just plain old shitty luck. Griffin Dunne kills it as Paul Hackett, a sort of mildly hip, ’80s New Yorker everyman who runs afoul of nearly everyone he comes in contact with, even though most of it isn't his fault. There are some truly excellent cameos in "After Hours," too, so keep a sharp eye and watch out for the hilarious scene the quote comes from. We’ve all been in that spot, and maybe that’s why After Hours is so damn relatable.Iconic quote: “I could go to a party, get drunk, tell someone. Who knows?”
‘Lost in America’
When Albert Brooks’ character David Howard lectures his wife, Linda (Julie Hagerty), in their Winnebago about her gambling woes, it's one of the funniest things ever committed to the screen. "Lost in America" is Brooks at his wittiest. No offense to those who loved Hagerty in the classic comedy "Airplane!," but "Lost in America" contains some of her finest moments on screen as well. Brooks and Hagerty drop out of society and before you know it, society is dropping all manner of troubles on them in this hilarious ode to "Easy Rider." This incredible take on the buddy/travel film is more than a keeper. It should be viewed by the family at least once a year to remind us why the dream of life on the road should remain exactly that.Iconic quote: “A bird lives in a round stick. You have things over-easy on toast.”
1995 was also a pretty stellar year for movies, but these two really stand out.
‘Swimming With Sharks’
From three movies that make you feel good (at least about your own lot in life) to a movie that makes you want to take a long, hot shower, 1995’s "Swimming With Sharks" starring Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley and Michelle Forbes is a dark take on life in Hollywood that is well worth rewatching from time to time. Whaley is excellent as a young dude trying to forge a path for himself in a fictional movie studio and Spacey plays a role that, well, may have given us a glimpse into what his off-screen personality might actually be like. There are some fantastic twists and turns in "Swimming With Sharks" and fans of films like "The Player" or "Very Bad Things" will enjoy this one quite a bit. Technically, it came out in 1994 due to some festival screenings, but the wide release was in April 1995.Iconic quote: “You are nothing! If you were in my toilet I wouldn't bother flushing it. My bathmat means more to me than you!”
‘Shallow Grave’
Released in the U.S. in January 1995, the British film "Shallow Grave" was a delightful surprise in the dark humor category. While not quite as dark as "Swimming With Sharks," "Shallow Grave" deals with some pretty sobering subject matter in a way that unravels a super suspenseful plot with some extremely entertaining and unnerving parts. Ewan McGregor is clearly the biggest star here now, but he was relatively unknown when it came out as "Trainspotting was still a year away from being released. Christopher Eccleston and Kerry Fox also star, and both make you want to see more from them. Watching Eccleston’s character, David, unravel in the film is a thing of beauty as he turns into something of a beast.Iconic quote: “When you get up in the morning, how do you decide what shade of black to wear?”
Turning 25 is a pretty big rite of passage, as well. While it doesn’t sound as great as 50, most of us come into our own around 25 and really start living our real adult lives. With films, it can be a similar transformation.
‘O, Brother, Where Art Thou?’
Filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, along with actors George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson, gave the world a special treat in 2000 with "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Not only does it have one of the best soundtracks in movie history, it's a charming tale that the three lead actors bring to life with the help of another slew of excellent supporting cast members. Clooney was already a star when the film was released, but the Coen brothers handed him a career-defining role as prison escapee Ulysses Everett McGill, and Turturro and Nelson both show why they are the best of the best of American character actors as his partners in crime. This film never gets old, and John Goodman’s appearance is right up there with Alec Baldwin in "Glengarry Glen Ross" for the most impactful small roles in movie history.Iconic quote: “I don’t want FOP, damn it! I’m a Dapper Dan man.”
‘Best in Show’
There are so many great lines in Christopher Guest’s "Best in Show," but watching Michael Hitchcock scream at Parker Posey about a dog toy is ridiculously fun. With many of the same cast of characters returning from 1996’s "Waiting for Guffman," this mockumentary masterpiece set around the fictional Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show is Guest’s best work outside of "This Is Spinal Tap." Hitchcock and Posey represent angst-ridden yuppie dog owners Hamilton and Meg Swan who disintegrate while searching for the aforementioned dog toy, but they're just one cog in a full-frontal assault of funny. The always awesome Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara play Gerry and Cookie Fleck, and Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins play Stefan and Scott, owners of a photogenic shih-tzu. Guest, Ed Begley Jr., Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Lynch, Fred Willard and Larry Miller round out an incredible cast of supremely funny human beings with more great cameos sprinkled in the mix.Iconic quote: “Bring me the busy bee!”
