10 "Perfect" Movies (and why)

No preamble needed. See the list below:

1.  Raiders of the Lost Ark- Easily Spielberg's finest hour, this is the perfect marriage of he and Lucas. The plot is compelling, the main protagonist is an instant legend, and the shooting style feels very old school with its use of shadows and slow tracking shots. The action is also unmatched and catapulted adventure films onto a whole new level.
2. Casablanca- Movies that are written by more than two people have no right to be watchable let alone arguably the greatest movie ever made. But the changes to the script for "Casablanca" did nothing but make it better with each iteration. Inspired casting, direction, music and acting make this is a film without a single wasted moment.
3. Top Gun: Maverick- I'm not sure who decided sequels are automatically inferior to the originals but they were wrong and this film is why. There's never been a more pitch perfect sequel to a movie nobody expected to ever get one. There's reverence for the original without the plot descending into a by-the-numbers retread and the emotional stakes are off the scale. Another film without a wasted moment.
4. The Empire Strikes Back- Here's another one for sequel haters. No film before this one had ever taken a relatively skeletal first installment and developed it so beautifully in all areas. The characters are better fleshed out, the fight feels more urgent, the acting is stellar and the many reveals feel organic to the world Lucas created. 
5. Blazing Saddles- Few comedies age as beautifully as this one has. The jokes still work, the message is still as poignant as ever, and there's a real story being told with characters who seem like actual people despite the absurd goings-on around them. Also, Mel Brooks was born to direct westerns.
6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier- Paying attention, sequel haters? A brilliant sequel that shows how easily superhero stories can be adapted into other genres such as political suspense thrillers. 
7. Beverly Hills Cop- Proof that a script can sometimes serve as a framework for the ideas of a brilliant young comic at the height of his creativity, this is another movie that shouldn't have worked. If you don't believe me, take a look at "Cobra" starring Sylvester Stallone which was based on the same screenplay. That movie was ass. "Cop" was a perfect blend of comedy, gritty realism and social commentary.
8. Django Unchained- Although it's my second favorite Tarantino film, it's the one with the best execution. The acting, the setting, the action are all top notch and this is maybe the only filmmaker who could make you root for the hero to kill unarmed people.
9. Dark City- A true forgotten gem, Alex Proyas' film tells the story of a man who awakens with no memory of who or where he is. The mystery deepens until the Big Reveal which is about a shocking as it gets.
10. American Beauty- This one get maligned a lot nowadays because it's become fashionable to say it was overrated. It's not. It's a perfect snapshot of late Nineties ennui and the acting and direction are as good as it gets.

Next up: Imperfect Movies that are Still Great

The Other Pandemic: Facebook Group Moderators and Their Out of Control Egos.

Okay, I admit that title is filled with hyperbole but hopefully it grabbed your attention enough to make you want to read further. To be honest, I am burned out on Covid 19 posts and this is one that has been demanding equal time in my head for about a week. Simply put, there are some truly messed up control freaks functioning as moderators on Facebook group pages. And when combined with an already toxic fanbase, what often results is a recipe for disaster.

Case in point: A group purporting to be a Star Wars fanpage that encourages positive commentary on the movies. On paper, its existence makes sense. Star Wars fandom has become rife with trolling, mysognistic, racist, hate-filled assholes who seem utterly clueless about George Lucas' intent. So, creating a safehaven for fans who legitemately love the movies sounded super keen and outta sight. And for a while, it was. Sadly, two things happened to change that.

First, a bunch of trolling, mysognistic, racist, hate-filled assholes started insulting and threatening a female moderator over something unsurprisingly benign, forcing her to threaten a page shutdown because she couldn't handle the attacks. A small group of moderators then stepped in and started bringing down the virtual hammer, banning and blocking jerk-asses until they'd been pretty much weeded out. Things were good for a little while, then the second thing happened.

At some point, at least one moderator, possibly more, began displaying signs of power consumption. Every perceived criticism of their flawless moderating activities resulted in swift retaliation, up to and including banning. One of the main complaints seemed to be due to a lack of consistency and clarity when it comes to the rules they seem so willing to use at their discretion. I wrongly assumed I would actually have to do something notable before I got banned, but as it turned out, all it took was GIF.

Before I show you the offending image, some perspective is in order. In the midst of a bit of a fuckarow regarding members posting things advertising their wares, a moderator attempted to justify her decision to remove posts and ban someone. Another member raised a mild objection while still praising the page overall, pointing out that maybe during a global pandemic, when people are losing money and not working, some leeway might be acceptable. To paraphrase that moderator's response, although our hearts go out to those people, nuh-uh. My response was below:



 Some hours later, I clicked on an alert where someone had liked my comment and it was nowhere to be found. I then realized the page wasn't either. I had been dropped and blocked. That was literally all it took...an opinion on what I still consider a shittily expressed decision that was neither insulting nor especially critical.

So, I started my own group. The conceit is similar: People Who Love Them Some Damn Star Wars but with one major caveat: The Admin and Moderators aren't control-hungry wackjobs. Also, at our discretion, we will allow some advertsing from members who have artwork and written material or even music that is somehow related. My moderators aren't going to be banning people because they had their fwagile widdle feewings hurted by someone finding a decision cold-hearted.

If you're interested, feel free to click here and get to joinin':

https://www.facebook.com/groups/starwarslovesanemoderators/