Ticket 2 Ride

I am going to present you two stacks of DVDs (no Blu-ray disks mixed in). You are going on a trip and these are the only entertainment you will have. No TV, cable or internet. Which one would you choose? No trading between stacks.

Stack 1

Roman Holiday (1953) – Reporter Gregory Peck and Princess Audrey Hepburn in Rome. Love blossoms.

To Catch a Thief (1955) – Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller/romance starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly on the French Riviera.

McClintock! (1963) – John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara in a comedy Western. A battle of the sexes.

The Sting (1973) – Paul Newman and Robert Redford pull the big con as revenge against a mob boss.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) – Jimmy Stewart stars in Frank Capra’s Christmas classic. What if you’ve never been born.

When Harry Met Sally (1989) – Longtime friends Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal try not to fall in love.

Julie & Julia (2009) – Meryl Streep and Amy Adams cook Julia Child.

Field of Dreams (1989) – If you build it, he will come. Who will come?

The Thrill of it All (1963) – Doris Day and James Garner in a romantic comedy about a doctor’s wife who gets a job advertising soap and disrupts their lives.

A Hard Day’s Night (1964) – The Beatles in their first film with 15 of their songs. Great fun with John, Paul, George and Ringo.

The Bucket List (2007) – Cancer patients Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman try to squeeze more more life into whatever is left of their lives.

Star Wars (1977) – The beginning of the multi billion dollar franchise.

Blazing Saddles (1974) – The Western satire directed by Mel Brooks. Mongo only pawn in the game of life.

Dr. No (1962) – The film that launched the James Bond film franchise and established Sean Connery as an international film star.

Iron Man (2008) – The film that revived Robert Downey, Jr.’s career. He’s the man in the armor suit.

Wonder Woman (2017) – The story of Diana Prince, excellently played by Gal Gadot that made almost a billion dollars.

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) – A divorced dad wants to spend time so he becomes their female nanny.

The Godfather (1972) – Leave the gun, take the cannoli.

Time Bandits (1981) – Terry Gilliam’s fantasy time travel fantasy.

Batman (1989) – A half billion dollar film that started the super hero film biz.

Hud (1963)- Paul Newman and Patricia Neal in this modern Western of greed and a splintered family.

Toy Story (1995) – The Pixar original starring Tim Allen and Tom Hanks. You’re a toy! You aren’t the real Buzz Lightyear! You’re.. you’re an action figure! You are a child’s plaything!

Stack 2

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) – Harper Lee’s tale of a Depression-era lawyer and his family while defending a Black man with an all-White jury. “I don’t know if it will help saying this to you… some men in this world are born to do our unpleasant jobs for us… your father is one of them.”

Psycho (1960) – Hitchcock’s surprise hit that became a classic and Norman Bates a household name. Well, a boy’s best friend is his mother.

The War Wagon (1967) – John Wayne and Kirk Douglas in this light-hearted Western. Can five men capture the heavily guarded War Wagon?

The Way We Were (1973) – Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford in a bittersweet love story about opposites that cannot live up to the past.

Harvey (1950) – James Stewart and his large, invisible friend.

Moonstruck (1987) – Cher has a fiancé but falls for his younger brother, meanwhile her father is having an affair, much to her mother’s wishes, but in the end, everyone is with who they should be with.

The Bridges of Madison County (1995) – Based on the weepy best seller, photographer Clint Eastwood romances country girl Meryl Streep in a bittersweet romance.

Dances With Wolves (1990) – A Civil War soldier at at isolated fort befriends Lakota Indians.

Pillow Talk (1959) – Doris Day and Rock Hudson share a party telephone line. “Look, I don’t know what’s bothering you.”

This is Spinal Tap (1984) – Rob Reiner’s first feature film traces a tour by the fictional band, Spinal Tap. Dozens of people spontaneously combust each year. It’s just not really widely reported.

As Good As it Gets (1997) – A different kind of romantic comedy. An older obsessive/compulsive is attracted to a younger, single mom who has been his waitress where he eats. They have a complicated relationship. You can’t always be perfect, but you can be better.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1980) – We meet Indiana Jones. Archeology, Nazis and a vengeful ex-girlfriend.

Young Frankenstein (1974) – Mel Brooks’ comedy starring Gene Wilder, Cloris Leachman, Peter Boyle, Gene Hackman, Madeline Kahn and Teri Garr.

Skyfall (2012) – The 23rd Bond film. Bond is out to save MI6 and M.

X-Men (2000) – The beginning of the six billion dollar dynasty. Introducing Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.

Die Hard (1988) – Bruce Willis became a megastar as John McClane who just thought he was attending a Christmas party. Yippie-kay-yay motherfucker.

The Birdcage (1996) – Future in-laws about to meet with things they want to hide from each other.

Jaws (1975) – The birth of the summer blockbuster. You’re gonna need a bigger boat.

Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) – Brian was born on the same night and next door to Jesus, and becomes mistaken for him, which leads to many misadventures.

Spider-Man (2002) – The crime fighting adventures of Peter Parker that launched the multi billion dollar film franchise.

Cool Hand Luke (1967) – Paul Newman cannot stay out of trouble and is sentenced to a chain-gang. What we got here is failure to communicate.

The Lion King (1994) – The adventures of Simba in this animated film with songs by Elton John and Tim Rice.