Contingencies Online - September/October 2011

The Envelope, Please

oNE oF LINDA MALLoN’S INDuCEMENTS in enlisting me as a
Contingencies columnist was telling me that I could write about “…
Spartan football, your grandkids, anything you want …”

But this column isn’t about Michigan State’s miraculous overtime win against Notre Dame last year (sorry, Linda) or our current three-year winning streak against the University of Michigan ( sorry, Jason, Tim, and Jenny). And it’s not about my nine grandchildren because I’m limited to one page, and each grandchild merits a page to him- or herself.

Rather, this column is about bad taste. To be precise, my bad taste in movies (as will become obvious when I describe my five favorite movies).

To make it into the favored five, a movie must satisfy four criteria:

■ ■ It must be at least 10 years old (so that I’m not swayed by recent releases that might not pass the test of time);

■ ■ It must stir strong emotions within me;

■ ■ It must have memorable dialogue;

■ ■ I must be willing to watch it whenever I happen upon it as I surf the channels, regardless of where the story is when I tune in.

My absolute favorite movie is “ Michael,” a whimsical love story set in Chicago and starring John Travolta as the title character, with Andy McDow-ell, John Hurt, and Maureen Stapleton in supporting roles. (Favorite line: “I’m not that kind of angel.”) The critics panned it, but I always enjoy it as if it was my first viewing. I laugh at Michael’s irreverent responses to questions about angels, enjoy the dance and fight scenes in the roadhouse, and tear up at the ending (as Van Morrison sings “Bright Side of the Road”) every time I watch it.

My next favorite movie is “The
Natural,” a prototypical story of
good and evil that stars Robert Redford,
Glenn Close, and Robert Duvall. (Favor-
ite line: “Gus, you’re so close that I can’t
tell if it’s your toes I’m feeling or mine.”)
(Is it coincidence that the love stories in
my top two movies are set in my home-
town of Chicago?) Critics said the movie
didn’t capture the spirit or magic of Ber-
nard Malamud’s book, but I’ll watch any
movie that has the Cubbies playing a
prominent part.

Finally, a classic movie appears on my list: “To Kill a Mockingbird,” starring Gregory Peck and featuring the screen debut of Robert Duvall as Boo Radley. (Favorite line: “Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passing.”) The child actors who played Scout and Jem starred in only a handful of other movies. They reached the pinnacle of success early in their respective careers, with Mary Badham being nominated for an Oscar in this, her first movie role. She didn’t win, nor did the film win Best Picture, though Gregory Peck won the statue for his role as Atticus Finch, one of four Oscars for this movie.

Another classic appears fourth on my list, “2001: A Space Odyssey.” (Favorite line: “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I

can’t do that.”) Has anyone ever decoded the meaning of this movie? I enjoy discussing it

anytime, anywhere with anyone. There are infinite interpretations of the story line, and the special effects were light-years ahead of their time. (And as an actuary, I can’t resist a movie in which a computer has a major role.)

There’s only one spot left in my top five, but I have an eclectic list of potential candidates. “An Officer and a Gentleman,” “Bull Durham,” “The Sixth Sense,” “Jackie Brown,” “Jaws,” “Day of the Jackal,” “Caddyshack,” “Body Heat,” “Rocky,” “North by Northwest,” “ Phenomenon” (although I believe there’s a rule against having two John Travolta movies in any top-five list), and the original “Manchurian Candidate” all leap to mind as worthy contenders. “A Beautiful Mind” is now eligible for my list. And because I think there’s likely a rule against more than one Bill Murray movie on my top five, I won’t include “Groundhog Day,” no matter how much my editor pleads and cajoles.

I readily concede that few of these movies are great cinema, only that they satisfy my criteria. That explains the absence of classic films like “Casablanca,” “Psycho,” and “Star Wars.” I’m not saying these aren’t great films, just that they don’t satisfy my criteria (my shortcoming, not theirs).