Star Wars

Star Wars - 1977
Director: George Lucas
Actors: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Alec Guinness
Memorable Line: "May the force be with you."

The quintessential GenX movie, Star Wars should be etched into the psyches of every kid to pass through the 1970's and 1980's...and beyond.

But in case you missed it, Luke Skywalker (Hamill) is simple farm kid on out of the way planet who is dreaming of adventure when it all too suddenly finds him. After encountering a old recluse (Guinness) on the planet, Luke finds that he may be apart of mystical group called the Jedi - warriors tapped into universal energy called "The Force." The plot accelerates from there as the duo hook up with petty space smuggler, Han Solo (Ford) and then with an on the run princess (Fisher) and leader of rebel forces pitted against the evil Empire troops led by the ruthless and fearsome Darth Vader. The group end facing off against the Empire's ultimate weapon - the Deathstar, with the fate the free universe at stake.

Groundbreaking in special effects, Star Wars dazzled audiences, but it was so much more than a special effects extravaganza. There is an engaging story and charismatic characters. The story is reminiscent of an old western with characters with white hats and black hats. Lucas called it a Space Opera. I just call it fantastic.

The cast is mostly unknowns except for Guinness who add a gravitas to the movie with his performance, but all the cast members provide convincing performances.

So, pop some popcorn and power up the DVD player, put in Star Wars and get ready for a real adventure.

Jaws

Jaws (1975)
Director: Steven Speilberg
Cast: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
Memorable Line: "You're going to need a bigger boat."

Jaws that started the summer blockbuster was initially, for me, a film I avoided because I thought it was a “sheep” film. Sheep films are ones that everyone has to see. So, I didn’t see it until four years after its release when it was re-released.

It has become one of favorite movies. This is Speilberg before he learned his bag of tricks and was a more raw and authentic storyteller than the rut he evolved into for nearly a decade. Now, it was a comfortable rut and not an entirely unenjoyable rut, but still a rut in which his considerable skills languished.

Jaws takes landlubber, Chief Brody, (Roy Scheider) and has him face-off with a man-eating sharking preying on the islanders the chief is sworn to protect. At his side is a shark obsessed oceanographer (Richard Dreyfuss) and a professional shark hunter (Robert Shaw). The trio make an unlikely team, fighting among themselves and eventually bonding, as they stalk the shark only to have the almost supernatural creature turn the tables on them.

The performances by the three lead men stand out and the film almost seems like the most collaborative effort of Speilberg’s early films. Unlike many of Speilberg's subsequent movies, the actors seem to break through the Speilberg's style and bring their character's to life, making them real and that's what set's Jaws apart.

Three Days of the Condor

Three Days of the Condor (1975)
Director: Syndey Pollack
Cast: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max Von Sydow
Memorable Line: "I don't think you'll live much longer."

* Underrated and Overlooked *
This is a genre movie in the "everyman gets caught in plot that's bigger than himself" vein (Think of "North by Northwest."). If you're a part of Generation Y and maybe the tail-end of Generation X you may never have heard of it, but this is one of most gripping and realistic espionage films you'll ever see. If you like movies with heroes that are really superheroes with fantastic martial arts fighting skills and the ability make miraculous shots with dueling handguns ablaze, then this isn't the film for you. But if you like a thinking man's hero, I recommend you check out this movie.

Redford stars a bookish researcher who arrives at work one day to find his whole division brutally wiped out in a nearly silent attack. Quickly realizing that he is the last man standing and knowing that his moments may be numbered, he goes undercover to find who killed his colleagues and how he can stay alive in the process. Faye Dunaway plays an isolated photographer who Redford's character ensnares and inspires to assist him in finding the truth. Max Von Sydow is chilling as a career assassin who coldly provides his skills to the highest bidder and Roberson is a higher up in the C.I.A. whose job it is to protect the agency at nearly all costs.

Probably the only dated element of the movie is the Dave Gruisin's score which is a bit too jazzy compared to traditional scores. While not edited with the frenetic pace of today's thrillers, the tempo of the plot is sufficient to keep the viewer engaged and interested.

And there's a fight scene between Redford's character and would-be assassin that I feel is one of most realistic fight scenes in cinema history. There's no fantastic martial arts stunts here. There's just two guys facing off with whatever brawn and brain they can muster with Redford outmatched in the strength, but with the cunning. It's worth the price of admission.