Rant #1,799: Saturday Night At the Movies

I don't remember the last movie I saw in the movie theater.

Prices are way too high to see a movie nowadays, and the movies are generally so bad that it simply isn't worth it, anyway.

And there is no immediacy in seeing a movie, anyway, because in about three months, the movie you believe you just had to see is available on demand or on DVD, so what is the rush?

But I remember the time when going to the movies was part of my weekly experience. You just had to go to the movies to make your week complete, and that extended not just from my pre-teen years, but all the way through my early marriage years, through when I had kids, and even through when my kids were growing up.

But now, it isn't even part of the equation anymore.

Sure, movie theaters know this, and try to adapt to the changing times--and rising prices--by giving moviegoers more "luxurious" accommodations for some movies, like swivel chairs that lean back almost far back enough to be a bed, updated sound and graphics, etc.

But for me, it doesn't work--$17 for a movie ticket is outlandish, and I won't pay it if I don't have to.

Let me take you back to a time when the movies were affordable, and worth every penny that you paid for a ticket. Since this is "best of" season, here are the top five of my 10 best and favorite movies of all time.

1) It's a Mad, Mad, Mad Mad World: Here is one of those movies worth every penny that you paid to see it, in whatever multi-hour version you saw it in. This film had more stars that were in the sky, was funny as all heck, and it all started with a car accident. It also showed what money--or the thought of money--can do to normal, everyday people, and that last scene with Ethel Merman in the hospital basically pulls the hole thing together. Excess at its absolute best, and probably the funniest movie ever made, in my opinion.

2) Head: Shifting gears a bit, this is probably the greatest rock and roll move ever made, a movie about a rock and roll ensemble, which was originally put together piece by piece, disassembled piece by piece. Whether the Monkees realized what was happening, or simply went along for the ride, is unclear, but the way that it is done in this little movie has to be seen over and over again to fully comprehend. And the music is fantastic, the pinnacle of the Monkees' creative powers, but you have to really wonder if they knew what the movie was about when they were making it.

3) The Wizard of Oz: A superb mix of fantasy, mild science fiction, comedy, drama, all driven by some of the greatest songs every set down on film, this movie is probably the greatest move ever made, even if it is No. 3 on my list. Everyone has seen this movie, and you can see it again and again and again and never get tired of it, no matter what your age is. And it truly cemented Judy Garland as a major star. Oz has been visited by several other movies, but this is the only one with any staying power, and deservedly so.

4) Psycho: The greatest thriller movie of all time, bar none. It is actually two movies, a movie about Janet Leigh's character, who isn't too nice, and a movie about Anthony Perkins' character, who is mentally ill. Both characters are nuts, but both characters go about what they are doing in different ways. And that shower scene is probably the best edited scene in film history, simply adding to the glory of this movie. I know some would argue with me, but this is, at least to me, Alfred Hitchcock's finest film, and it keeps you glued to the screen for its full length, waiting to see what's going to happen next.

5) Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein: One of the funniest movies ever made, this film came from an idea of genius: combine Universal Pictures' two best assets--the comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello and a gaggle of "monsters"--into a single movie, and it worked to perfection. Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr.  and Glenn Strange (yes, that was his name) add to the funny business, and then there is the Invisible Man at the end ... more pure comic genius. Abbott and Costello were never better than in this film, cementing their legacy as the greatest comedy team of all time, bar none.

Well there you have it. Those are my best choices, and notice that all of these films are decades old. To me, they were made when movies really were game changers, films that you had to see in the movies or not see at all.

Happily today, each of these movies is widely available on home video and other outlets, but back when they came out, you had to see them in the movies, and that is what they were made for, theater viewing.

The second half of my top 10 will run at a later date. Speak to you again tomorrow.