Here Comes the Son

As my not quite two day old son and his mother rest peacefully in the room next door, I find myself in awe once again of the human experience. Witnessing the love my wife literally birthed into this world did not dilute one iota from the experience I had with our first son. In fact, with age and perspective I know now even more than I did almost five years ago that what I got to participate in was perhaps the most important experience I would ever get to have. I couldn't help but start to project years down the road into the future, and I couldn't help but think of all things I love that I could share with my newborn son.

In thinking about what I could pass down to my son, I came to the subjects of cinema. My own love for the art of motion pictures drives a big part of who I am; so I want to impart that love in both of my children. Specifically I thought of five movies that I hold near to me that I think will inspire my newest addition to fall in love with the medium himself. What follows is that list of five films that I cannot wait to share with my newborn son. You might notice that some of my all-time favorite movies aren't on this list (things like "Star Wars" or "The Godfather") and that's because those movies are on such a level that they're almost superfluous to lists like these. Rest assured that this new son, much like my first, will be exposed to The Force at as early an age as I can possibly get away with.

1."Monty Python and the Holy Grail" No journey through life is complete without watching this film. In my opinion, no life's journey is complete without watching this film at least six dozen times. Everything that is right about comedy on film is on display on this, the first full-length motion picture from the lads of Python's Flying Circus. Absurdity, bizarre linguistic play and irreverent treatment of all things sacred make this the quintessential Python comedy in my book. Once I have him hooked with Holy Grail, and I can move him right onto "Monty Python's Life of Brian" without any difficulty.

2. "The Wizard of Oz" After more than seventy years this movie still holds up on every single level. Yes, the performances are a bit more melodramatic than perhaps they'd be now, in this post-modern era, but they fit the feel of the story perfectly. The imagery alone makes this one of the most whimsically fantastic films ever put to celluloid. The transition from "reality" to "Oz" by using a shift from black and white to Technicolor was a stroke of genius that's been copied and mimicked ever since. The Land of Oz was in fact the perfect backdrop for Technicolor. The not-quite realistic tones that Technicolor imparted don't distract the eyes, it attracts them. Then there are perhaps the most memorable songs in movie-musical history. If all I could do is get my son to watch Judy Garland's amazing performance of Rainbow I'd consider it a huge success.

3. "The Big Lebowski" Okay, so I know that it's kind of hard to imagine showing a child this movie. Trust me; I'm not saying that my children will be watching this film with me any time in their childhood. Right around 16 or 17 though, I plan to start really exposing them to the modern classics. Films like "Pulp Fiction" and "American Beauty" and Lebowski are those films to me that really encapsulate what the mid to late 90's were all about in cinema. Yes, the language is salty and the imagery can be intense, but each one of these films speaks for its generation brilliantly. Lebowski especially is a film that can be watched dozens and dozens of times and the finer nuances of the Coen Brothers' dark comedy will continue to be discovered and further appreciated. Lebowski serves as a workshop for writing dialog and creating bizarre and yet totally believable characters, two absolutely essential qualities in a good subversive and darkly irreverent comedy.

4. "Toy Story", "Toy Story 2", and "Toy Story 3" Okay, I'm totally cheating and giving three movies to one slot. I started to just jot the third film into this place, but then realized that what makes the third film so great is that it puts the bow on the absolute prize of a story that the first two films set up. One of my favorite aspects of this trilogy is to watch as Pixar's technology grew to the point that it finished up with in "Toy Story 3." As the movies progressed in installments, so did the depth and emotion of each story's plot. Pixar has become masters of injection humor and real human emotion into their animated films. Between "Up" and "Toy Story 3" their last two films have been nominated not only for Best Animated Feature but Best Picture as well at the Academy Awards. For the academy to nominate an animated film for Best Picture there had to be real substance there. The Toy Story franchise has a great message and carries real weight for all audiences young and old; and I want my children to appreciate it for that very reason.

5. "Yellow Submarine" What better way to introduce your child to both the Beatles and cartoons than with this 1968 animated film? When it was released critics and audiences alike didn't quite know what to do with it. Now over 40 years later it stands as a great film for young children to learn some classic Beatles tunes and to see a silly little story while they're at it. The Beatles themselves didn't voice themselves, so the stereotypical Liverpudlian accent abounds in this film, but that's not what you watch it for. You watch it for the way they made an 85 minute long form music video. Oh, and you also watch it for "No Ringo, don't push that button!"

Think I missed a movie? Don't like my list? Tell me about it! Leave a comment.