X-Men: First Class (2011)

Not sure why it is, but prequels are often more interesting than sequels.  No?  Okay, maybe not.  Maybe only when it comes to super heroes?  This one ranks up there with Batman Begins in my opinion.  In fact, I like this one better than most the other X-men installments.

James McAvoy as a young and emerging Dr. X is great.  We learn how he becomes who he is.  We also learn what a haunted soul Magneto is and how he arrives at his situation.  Michael Fassbender does a great job giving us a multidimensional character.

In fact, the entire cast is well suited.  I especially enjoyed Kevin Bacon as the bad guy.  This movie will make playing the Kevin Bacon game even easier.

Watch this movie with someone who might not be previously familiar with the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

Animal House (1978)

Director John Landis may well be the King of Cliche, andthis movie is no exception. In fact, this movie sets the bar very high and has often been imitated since.

Many now-famous stars got their start with this movie, including: John Belushi (Blues Brothers), Kevin Bacon (A Few Good Men), Tom Hulce (Amadeus), Stephen Furst (voice of Booster in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command series), Karen Allen (Indiana Jones), and many others. Nice casting.

If you were part of any fraternity in college, you may be offended by this movie. Or not. If you were a GDI (gawd-damned-independent) in college, you will certainly not be offended. If you remember college, you will most likely be amused. If you don't, you may be totally busted.

This DVD contains a great little mockumentary about the alum of the film. Very funny. You should watch this before the movie itself. There are way too many funny stories behind this movie to comment on here. Bottom line - you should know that much of what happened in this movie really did happen to somebody involved in the writing, directing, or production.

Watch this movie with somebody who went to college in the 1960s and pay attention to how they react.

My One and Only

Big names help this story, but the story itself is worth telling. Merv Griffin was the champion of this project from the beginning and although he did not survive to see it's completion, I hear his fingerprints are everywhere. Merv was a perfectionist and it shows.

Renée Zellweger plays the main character of the jilted mother of two boys, one of whom grows up to be celebrity George Hamilton. The young George is played smartly by Logan Lerman. Lerman is no newcomer to the big screen. His gay brother is played by Mark Rendall. His character is about the best comic relief this movie has.

Billed as a comedy this is really more of a dramedy. There is more drama than the marketeers would want us to think. Be prepared.

Other recognizable faces include, Kevin Bacon, Chris Noth, David Koechner, and Eric McCormick.

Even if you don't know who George Hamilton is you may enjoy this story of youthful evolution and discovery. Keep in mind that Hamilton was known for his otherworldly tan. This makes his mother's comments about him going to the beach to get some color and his later remarks that LA is too sunny all the more amusing. It really is a good story of keeping family together and making the best of difficult situations.

Watch this movie with someone who has always dreamed of a cross-country road trip ending in Hollywood stardom.