"And That's The Double-Truth, Ruth."

DO THE RIGHT THING (1989)

As a (now former) resident of New York, I can tell you that nothing brings out the beast of the city quite like a sticky summer day. Add a cast of troubled characters, the smog of racial tension, and a city full of short tempers and you've got a recipe for disaster. Do The Right Thing is an early Spike Lee film that demonstrates exactly how racial hatred can slowly eat the soul straight out of a neighborhood until it is left with nothing but bare bones and smoking debris. More than that, it's about the genuine, salt-of-the-earth people who get caught in the crossfire of battling ideals.

I've spent a lot of time studying the tug-and-pull of the "Martin Luther King Jr. vs. Malcolm X" arguments, and I'll always be hard pressed to say exactly where I fall between the two. Luckily, Spike Lee shares a similar unease and battles it out all while telling a good story. Political messages aside, it's just a good movie. Period. The characters are colorful and crisp, the dialogue hits you with a poetic beat, and it's the perfect blend of art and real life. After all, you can't get to the real truth of the matter without a little fiction, and Do The Right Thing is a perfect example of just that. Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, John Turturro and so many more are fantastically cast and really bring their roles to life. Plus, it has my man Samuel L. Jackson as the smooth talking Mister Señor Love Daddy. I'm sold. 

And Don't Call Me Shirley.

AIRPLANE! (1980)

What can I say about this movie except that everything it does it does right? It's thirty-two years old and still one of the funniest comedies of all time. A lot of credit can be given where credit it due--no one can really think about Airplane! without Leslie Nielsen's face coming to mind. His deadpan is hilarious and his comic timing is pure genius. Throw in a dash of Peter Graves and Lloyd Bridges and you've got a stellar cast. But the real heart of this movie is in the script. It doesn't let up on the humor for a second, twisting every line for the end punch. Not to mention the fact that it has a little something for everyone--from classy word play ("A hospital? What is it?" "It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now") to potty jokes ("the shit's going to hit the fan!"). Even if the humor occasionally dates itself, the most prominent example being the "Jive Dudes", watching an old white lady talk "jive" will still never get old. Airplane is truly a comedy classic that will hold up for all time and appropriate for every occasion (except maybe in-flight). Even the kids have something to learn from it, and if you don't believe me, let the movie speak for itself: