I pivot quickly to my email page but already feel violated by sensationalism and banality.

Now I’m in the city, hailing a cab. I get in and without any prompting, a news person is addressing me from a video screen. I try to turn it off. I have to hit the “Off” button repeatedly for it to take. This frustrates me.

Days later, I’m flying to California. When I sit down in my airplane seat, again the video is on right in front of me — lots of sight, sound and motion, and some other telegenic host or spokesperson with lots to say. Thankfully, the sound is turned down.

I still choose to turn the video off, but in the narrow space my elbow keeps hitting the controls, and it keeps coming back on. My solution: I press the lightness button down, and that unwelcome, intrusive presence is plunged into blessed darkness.

And then there’s my particular pet peeve: DVDs or blu-rays where I’m forced — and I mean, forced — to laboriously skip through endless previews of movies before finally arriving at my intended destination… the menu page for the feature I actually want to see.

When I try to shortcut to the main menu, a fraction of the time it works, but mostly I get that dreaded sign telling me: “This action is not allowed at the moment.”

But hold on a minute — I actually bought this DVD so I could watch the film without being impeded or interrupted. Yet the studio that sold it to me is making it exceedingly difficult for me to opt out of their self-serving advertising and promotional campaigns.

Now I can’t blame CBS for all those erectile dysfunction ads; I know that if I choose to tune in 60 Minutes, advertising is part of the contract. That’s the price I pay for free content, and yes — the ads are when I go get that beer in the fridge and check on dinner.

And if I pick up The New York Times and see yet another photo of the Boston bombers, I accept that, because by scanning the front page, I’m making a choice to get the news. It’s not forced on me.

The there’s the movie theater. Even though I personally detest all those headache-inducing previews, by going into that space I implicitly expect and agree to endure them. And I know that struggling exhibitors would hardly consent to do away with them. So be it. I can mosey out to the lobby for some high-priced popcorn if I’m truly desperate.

Still, in general I’m conscious of all the time and effort involved in avoiding all the flash and noise that threatens to engulf us.

Harry Nilsson saw it coming on the Midnight Cowboy soundtrack: “Everybody’s talkin’ at me, I don’t hear a word they’re saying.”

(Would you believe it: an anti-advertising message from a former “Mad Man,” who clocked in 17 years managing accounts at Ogilvy? It’s akin to Yul Brynner telling us all to quit smoking.)

Of course it’s unrealistic to expect a world where we only receive the media and promotional messages we want all the time. I certainly don’t envision near-term extinction for that twin blight on our real and virtual landscape: outdoor billboards and banner ads.

Yet technology is gradually moving us in the right direction. With the decline of non-paid, “appointment” TV programming, and the corresponding advent of on-demand streaming, increasingly we’ll be able to tailor what we see and hear to suit our own tastes, and also bypass unwelcome tabloid hype, junk ads and other assorted clutter.

The key to all of it is being able to opt in or out easily.

With respect to the movie preview issue on DVDs, some will claim that most viewers absolutely adore watching previews, whether in a theater or at home.

To which I respond: all the more reason studios should make it easy for that small minority (of which I’m a part) to choose to skip them.

And if I want to watch programming in a cab or on an airplane, let me hit the power button myself.

Like many other so-called civilized, developed countries around the globe, the U.S. is experiencing an explosion, both in content and how that content gets delivered.

But we are also a nation founded on freedom and the rights of the individual. Shouldn’t that include being able to choose what we watch, read and see, along with when and how we do it?

Sounds reasonable to me!

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I was reminded of this on Wednesday when I attended their “Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity” exhibition.

Combining artwork and costumes, it showed how the finest French impressionist painters of the late-19th century were celebrating Paris as the epicenter of style and fashion in their work, by painting not just glorious gardens and vistas, but the colorful, elaborate outfits worn by the city’s most prominent women.

Admittedly, I’m a sucker for the Impressionists. Were I Bill Gates, I’d be snapping up any Monet or Renoir I could lay my hands on.

And though you won’t see me at any “Fashion Week” events, I also love and revere timeless fashion and style, by which I mean:

a) Clean styles, cuts and color sense that worked in 1930, and will work in 2030.

b) Fashions from the past — say, two centuries (I’m less interested in togas) — when what you wore and how you wore it was so much more important.

(My Met visit reinforced this last truth as I beheld rapt attendees gazing up at gorgeous gowns and suits in their t-shirts and blue jeans. It was something out of a New Yorker cartoon.)

As I was being blissfully engulfed by all this sensory stimuli, the idea for this piece came to me. I started thinking about the key role costume design plays in making a classic period film work.

By definition, these movies must simulate time-travel, and accurate, lovingly detailed period attire help achieve the effect, while filling us with wonder at the often spectacular way our forebears and ancestors once dressed.

My top 10 picks stand as great films on their own, but in each case, the stunning costume work really adds to the impact. And though many will reasonably cite examples of classic black and white movies that also deliver the goods, it’s no coincidence that all of the following titles were shot in vibrant color.

(Final trivia note: the Oscar for best costume design was only introduced in the late forties. Of the nine films I’ve listed which were released since then, seven won the Oscar, and the other two were nominated.)

Gone With The Wind (1939): At the outbreak of the Civil War, feisty, narcissistic Southern belle Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) meets her match in roguish charmer Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), who woos her persistently despite her love for another man, Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard). Ashley however has chosen the gentle Melanie Hamilton (Olivia de Havilland) for his bride. All this sets the stage for one of cinema’s most turbulent romances, with plenty of historic, cathartic moments in the background, as the progress and aftermath of the war leaves the Old South in ashes. One of the world’s most cherished and enduring pictures, Wind was birthed in the mind of novelist Margaret Mitchell and incubated by brilliant, obsessive producer David O. Selznick, who spared no expense in bringing this powerful, affecting story to the big screen. The ultra-lavish production features ornate costumes and art design, jaw-dropping set pieces and historical sequences (especially the burning of Atlanta, for which a Hollywood set was torched), all wrapped around the story of a resourceful, if not likable, heroine. Leigh (a native Brit!) plays the self-absorbed Scarlett to perfection, while Gable’s Rhett is devilishly attractive and fiercely masculine. Grand studio filmmaking at its aristocratic best, Selznick’s brainchild nabbed an armload of Oscars, including Best Picture and Actress (for Leigh).

Moulin Rouge (1952): Frustrated by a childhood injury that’s deformed his legs, well-heeled, fin-de-siecle painter Toulouse-Lautrec (Jose Ferrer) immerses himself in the bawdy world of Montmartre’s lively show club the Moulin Rouge, quaffing cognac and observing can-can acts while he works at his art. One night on his way home, he meets Marie (Colette Marchand), a prostitute trying to ditch a vice cop, and the two begin a tumultuous relationship. A box-office smash in 1952, John Huston’s engrossing biopic about the discordant life and loves of famed 19th-century painter Toulouse-Lautrec is drenched in colors taken from the artist’s own palette. Shot mostly from the waist up, but acting on his knees, José Ferrer does a remarkable job of conveying the gloomy Toulouse-Lautrec, whose infirmity crippled his self-esteem but instigated his flagrant art. Zsa Zsa Gabor is also captivating as entertainer Jane Avril, while composer Georges Auric’s now-classic score gives Rouge a melancholy cast. The flamboyant opening sequence is one of Huston’s finest set pieces.

Gigi (1958): Gigi (Caron) is a young Parisian schoolgirl at that awkward stage between girlishness and womanhood. Older, wealthy family friend Gaston (Jourdan) has always treated her like a little sister. Eventually though, Gigi blossoms into quite a beauty, which causes Gaston considerable inner conflict. Complicating matters is that Gigi comes from a family of courtesans- not the type a gentleman would customarily marry into. To help him resolve what to do, Gaston enlists the help of good-hearted Uncle Honore (Chevalier), who’s wise in the ways of women and romance. Top MGM producer Arthur Freed and director Vincente Minnelli hit their respective peaks with this enchanting movie, one of the few musicals ever to win the Best Picture Oscar. Caron is radiant as the gamine who becomes a beautiful woman before our very eyes, the suave Jourdan is just right for Gaston (he can sing too!), and Chevalier steals every scene he’s in as old roué Honore. Even so the film’s real stars remain that gossamer Lerner-Lowe score, and Minnelli’s sumptuous recreation of fin-de-siecle Paris. Thank Heaven indeed!

The Leopard (1963): This gorgeous, sweeping historical film, based on a top-selling Italian novel, portrays a transitional period in 19th century Sicily, when the old aristocracy gave way to the rising middle classes to forge a more democratic nation. This societal change is glimpsed through the eyes of the aging prince Don Fabrizio Salina, (Burt Lancaster), decidedly of the old Italy, who views its passing philosophically. Salina’s handsome nephew Tancredi (Alain Delon) and his intended, Angelica (Claudia Cardinale), represent the incoming order. Director Luchino Visconti’s exquisite epic weaves the theme of societal upheaval into a sumptuous and stunning cinematic tapestry. A meticulously dubbed Lancaster gives a flavorful, commanding performance as the proud patriarch, while Delon and Cardinale comprise one of the most magnetic young couples ever captured on celluloid. The film’s final set piece is a particular stunner, often cited as one of the most visually arresting sequences in all film. (Trivia note: both Brando and Laurence Olivier were considered for Lancaster’s role here, just as all three actors would compete for the part of Don Corleone in The Godfather nearly ten years later.)

Dr. Zhivago (1965): Though married to Tonya Gromeko (Geraldine Chaplin), daughter of the couple who adopted him as a youth, poet-physician Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif) nurses an undying passion for Lara (Julie Christie), the lovely wife of a political rebel he meets during the First War. With the violent upheavals of the Bolshevik Revolution wreaking havoc in their lives and throughout Russia, will their passionate love survive? Based on Boris Pasternak’s Nobel Prize-winning novel, David Lean’s third masterpiece (following The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia) is a sumptuous, absorbing epic in the grand tradition of filmmaking. Sharif and Christie (often glimpsed in adoring close-ups) are ravishing to watch, as Lean turns an earth-shattering moment in world history into high romantic drama. Brimming with unforgettable images of the Russian steppes captured by Oscar-winning lensman Freddie Young, Lean’s snowy, romantic spectacle is just what the Doctor ordered, with marvelous ensemble work by Rod Steiger, Alec Guinness, Tom Courtenay, and Klaus Kinski.

Barry Lyndon (1976): Fleeing Ireland after a duel, roguish young Redmond Barry (Ryan O’Neal) pursues an odd and adventurous course into high society, including a stint in the Prussian army under the command of Captain Potzdorf (Hardy Kruger). Eventually, after romping through Europe with a card sharp, he meets gorgeous, newly widowed Lady Lyndon (Marisa Berenson). But this twist of romantic fortune may not end well for Barry. A chilly social critique guised as an elaborate costume drama, Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon is a splendidly realized, visually sumptuous affair. At the height of his fame in the mid ’70s, O’Neal portrays Barry with sly charm as he becomes embroiled in war, betrayal, romance, and family dysfunction. Neglected in its day, this stately adaptation of William Thackeray’s novel deserves its rehabilitated reputation: John Alcott’s low-light cinematography is exquisite, the period details are obsessively spot-on, and the entire picture-winner of several Oscars-has the look of a color-saturated 18th-century canvas.

Fanny and Alexander (1982): Set in early 20th century Sweden, this sumptuous film concerns the Ekdahls, an exuberant clan whose happy life is seen through the eyes of young son Alexander (Bertil Guve). But when patriarch Oskar dies, mother Emilie (Ewa Frolling) rashly decides to remarry cold Bishop Vergerus (Jan Malmsjo), and the Ekdahls’ existence is transformed from one of warm colors to a stern, inflexible gray. Perhaps the crowning work of Ingmar Bergman’s long, distinguished career was originally a TV mini-series, cut to three hours for theatrical release. Certainly the Swedish master’s most autobiographical film, Fanny shows how a sudden turn in one family’s fortunes accelerates the maturing of son Alexander, who’s modeled on Bergman’s youthful self. Magical and ultimately optimistic, the multiple Oscar-winning Fanny is a masterpiece of storytelling on film, by turns intimate and epic.

A Room With a View (1985): Traveling in Italy with protective spinster cousin Charlotte (Maggie Smith) at the dawn of the 20th century, beautiful English maiden Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham-Carter) meets and falls for the dashing, free-spirited George Emerson (Julian Sands). Witnessing their stolen kiss high above Florence, disapproving Charlotte goads her to return to England, where Lucy is eventually courted by the stiff, conventional Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day-Lewis). Yet her passions are aroused again when Emerson moves nearby. One of the finest creations coming out of the longstanding Merchant/Ivory alliance, Room With a View is a stunningly evocative romance lovingly adapted by screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from the book by E.M. Forster. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, the film boasts dazzling sets and costumes, along with note-perfect early turns by Merchant-Ivory regular Bonham-Carter and an uncharacteristically priggish Day-Lewis. Don’t miss this lush, smart and sumptuous cinematic treat.

Topsy-Turvy (1999): An in-depth look at the life and work of 19th century British musical team Gilbert and Sullivan. This film goes beyond faithful renderings of their timeless operettas to expose the backstage shenanigans of their company and the strained relations between straitlaced librettist Gilbert (Jim Broadbent) and dissolute composer Sullivan (Allan Corduner). Just when it seems the two have reached the end of their creative tether, they’re inspired to create their most enduring work, The Mikado. Director Mike Leigh meticulously recreates the London that belonged to Gilbert and Sullivan. The film’s mix of pageant and backstage drama accelerates the long-running time, and you find yourself lost in the look and textures of that time and place. Musical renditions, sets, and costumes feel stunningly authentic, reinforcing why the pair was the toast of England. Both Broadbent and Corduner excel in the leads, each in their way conveying the frustrating predicament of an incompatible partnership.

La Vie En Rose (2007): Born into a bordello and abandoned as a youth, French singing icon Edith Piaf (Marion Cotillard) learned from an early age that the world was full of sorrow. Tracing her incredibly fateful life and career from destitution on the streets of Paris to her eventual fame as the eminent chanteuse of her generation, this biopic depicts how Piaf–troubled by drugs, violence, and cruel twists of fate — channeled the anguish of her experience into sublime songcraft. You couldn’t ask for a better life story than Piaf’s, and French director Dahan spares nothing in his depiction of the legendary singer, who was discovered crooning for pennies on a corner by cabaret owner Louis Leplee (Gerard Depardieu), later loved champion boxer Marcel Cerdan (Jean-Pierre Martins), and ultimately found a berth in 1950s Hollywood. But despite these successes, she endured enough tragedy to make Sophocles weep, and it’s the supernaturally beautiful Cotillard who brings Piaf to radiant, charismatic life in this unusually enthralling biopic, for which she won a much-deserved Oscar. Yes, this Rose has its thorns, but the pain is pure bliss.

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Ebert certainly was on to something when he first sat down with fellow hometown Chicago critic Gene Siskel back in the late ’70s to launch “Sneak Previews.” Together they managed to turn movie discussion and debate into must-watch television.

But Roger had the goods way before; it was evident from the first pieces he wrote for The Chicago Sun-Times more than a decade earlier.

In building our own movie recommendation site, Ebert was a top referral source because he was such a brilliantly descriptive writer. Fundamentally, he watched and assessed movies as stories — by which I mean he knew that good stories (by and large) were critical to outstanding films.

Ebert had a genius for giving you the flavor of a story so that you could understand it, and he always knew just how far to go without getting into spoiler territory.

There was no — pardon me — New York Times fussiness about his writing. It was clean, descriptive, yet could also transmit real feeling. Who could ever have doubted that Roger Ebert really and truly loved great movies?

And he was most always fair and honest about movies he didn’t care for. He was never mean-spirited. When a movie was condemned, you always felt it got the hearing it deserved.

Ebert’s passing is the passing of an era — and he’s left us at a time of transformation in what we watch and how we watch it.

Of course, there are fewer critics we know and trust, and fewer newspapers in which to discover them. More often, viewers (particularly adults over 25) are choosing to rent or stream movies rather than go to movie theaters — for price, convenience, and yes, quality — reasons. (After all, much of what comes to the multiplex is clearly intended for a younger audience, and at around 10 bucks per ticket vs. three for streaming or renting, it’s pretty easy to resist.)

Also, technology is changing how we choose our next movie. Today we are more likely to pick something based on aggregated viewer ratings (IMDb), Netflix algorithms, or social media.

Then again, we may be so wrapped up in those addictive paid cable series that we’re simply not watching as many self-contained feature films anymore.

This is in fact a trend on Netflix right now, which seems ironic, in that more great movies — old and new, domestic and foreign, narrative and documentary — are literally at our fingertips than ever before.

And this emerging reality will only get more apparent in just the next few years.

So, given this environment, and the reverence inspired by the life and legacy of Roger Ebert, shouldn’t we take to heart — and put it into practice — what he stood for?

This is what I personally take from his example: Use technology to find and watch great independent and foreign films that didn’t make it to a theater near you — or made it for about five minutes. Ebert believed that most movie fans are intelligent and recognize quality when they see it. Seek out that quality. If you are indeed what you eat, you are what you watch as well.

Celebrate outstanding older films in general, and certainly if an outstanding new one is not at hand. If you read Ebert’s Great Movies books, you discover the cinematic treasures of the past — films he truly adored and appreciated. Watch them. Movies are like music — the really good stuff refuses to get old.

Watch great films again, and challenge your established viewpoint. As director Robert Altman said: “It’s better to see a great movie again, than an average one the first time. Because even though the movie hasn’t changed, you have.” Ebert would screen certain movies after a period of time, and was never afraid to revise his opinion.

Look for films that relate human stories. While we all crave entertainment, fantasy and escape from movies, some of our most enduring classics also teach important lessons about how to live. Ebert believed in the power of film to inform and enlighten, and always championed such films, when done well.

Finally, spread joy and have fun all along the way — with your movies, and in your life. This is ultimately what Ebert was all about, and he re-affirmed it — gallantly and eloquently — as death approached.

For all he did, for all he was, for all he represented, a grateful public gives the late Roger Ebert an enthusiastic and heartfelt “two thumbs up.”

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I don’t like cold, I don’t like snow, I don’t like winter sports. For me, everything goes decidedly downhill (no pun intended) after New Year’s.

But now, I’m renewed.

I raise my face to the sun, and movie fanatic that I am, I hear Groucho’s voice ringing in my ears: “Sing ho! For the open highway! Sing ho! For the open road!” (Anyone remember the movie?)

Now seems like just the right time to talk about road movies, that bounteous staple of film that almost warrants its own subgenre.

It all stems from something basic in our human nature: the instinct to move, roam, and explore. Being evolved, reasoning creatures, our desire to travel only increases in more pleasant weather.

Going all the way back to Homer’s Odyssey, some of our finest stories take place on voyages or quests of some kind, where our hero (or heroine) not only experiences new sights and adventures, but also some transformation in thinking, circumstance, or attitude as a result.

The road movie is the cinematic equivalent.

Here then are my own 10 favorite road movie entries, which you can read more about (and rent) by clicking on the title(s). All these films have offered me particularly memorable and exciting travels from the comfort of my La-Z-Boy:

It Happened One Night (1934) — Down-on-his luck reporter (Clark Gable) gets scoop of a lifetime when he meets an heiress on the lam (Claudette Colbert) on a bus excursion. Then — as usual — romance complicates things. The first film to sweep the Oscars in all major categories.

Sullivan’s Travels (1941) — Well-meaning hack Hollywood director (Joel McCrea) wants to make a serious, important picture for a chance, profiling the plight of the impoverished masses. He takes a trip to find them with just a dime in his pocket and gets much more than he bargained for.

The Wages of Fear (1953) — Henri-Georges Clouzot’s classic white-knuckle thriller follows four broke, desperate men (including Charles Vanel and a young Yves Montand), stranded in a dusty Latin American town, who agree to transport two trucks of explosive nitroglycerine along bumpy, rarely traveled terrain.

Bonnie and Clyde (1967) — Arthur Penn’s bloody crime picture profiles two mythic outlaws from the ’20s and ’30s, Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) and Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway). At first Warners soft-pedaled the movie so that it almost sank on release, but Beatty — and word-of-mouth — eventually made it fly. Made Faye an overnight star, and no wonder.

Easy Rider (1969) — Dennis Hopper’s anti-establishment, stoner classic about two hippies on a motorcycle trip from the West Coast to New Orleans was a surprise hit in 1969, resonating with a deeply divided country. All these years later, it still earns its cult status, and is buoyed by Jack Nicholson’s breakout performance.

Midnight Run (1988) — Martin Brest’s hilarious road movie has Robert DeNiro’s bounty hunter taking former mob accountant Charles Grodin back to custody on the West Coast. Let’s just say the trip is eventful. The two stars have terrific comic chemistry, and look for Joey Pants!

Rain Man (1988) — Dustin Hoffman won his second Oscar playing an autistic savant who gets reunited with his slick younger brother (Tom Cruise) when their father dies and inheritance issues arise. The two brothers make a trip that will change them both forever. A winner from director Barry Levinson.

Thelma and Louise (1991) — Irresistible feminist buddy movie with Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon taking a one-way journey away from the lousy men in their lives. Geena and Susan are both aces, and look for a young Brad Pitt in a most unsympathetic role. Also — that ending is unforgettable.

The Straight Story (1999) — Quiet, absolutely wonderful sleeper from (of all people) David Lynch stars Richard Farnsworth as a senior citizen who can no longer drive. When he hears his estranged brother is ill in another state, he ventures off to care for him — driving a tractor! Sissy Spacek costars as his understandably awestruck daughter.

Transamerica (2005) — Felicity Huffman deservedly got an Oscar nod for her performance as Bree, a pre-op male-to-female transsexual who discovers she fathered a son years back, and that the boy is in trouble. Posing as a Christian social worker, Bree claims her son (without telling him who he/she really is) and transports him to L.A., with some illuminating stops along the way. Clever, funny, touching, and different — in a good way.

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Beyond its religious significance, Wikipedia aptly describes March 17th as a celebration of Irish history and identity, including “…prominent displays of the color green, feasting, copious consumption of alcohol, religious observances, and numerous parades.”

That kind of says it all, doesn’t it? St. Patrick’s Day gives us all an excuse to wear something green and over-imbibe.

A fondness for spirits is, of course, an integral part of the Irish character. There are lighter and darker sides to this truth. But the Irish hardly have a monopoly on the use and enjoyment of alcohol. It is in fact pretty much universal — and universally, it can be a source of joy and fun, as well as misery.

Not surprisingly, the best movies about drinking reflect both sides of the equation, sometimes making us laugh, but also reminding us how alcohol can unleash a ravaging, devastating disease for those genetically pre-disposed — a disease that causes suffering not just for the victims, but in almost equal measure, their families and friends.

Wishing everyone a safe and (reasonably) responsible holiday, I present my own candidates for the top drinking movies of all time.

The Thin Man (1934): The quintessential martini movie, Powell and Loy’s chic sleuths have fun, solve a murder, and hold their liquor — but just barely. “Ammunition!”

The Bank Dick (1940): It’s always fun hanging out with Egbert Souse (accent grave over the “e”) at the immoral (and immortal) Black Pussycat Café.

The Lost Weekend (1945): Billy Wilder’s shattering, groundbreaking drama about an alcoholic writer’s disintegration. Ray Milland’s Oscar — and he earned it.

A Star Is Born (1954): James Mason’s turn as Hollywood star turned drunk is one for the ages. Highlight: when he accidentally slaps Judy at the Awards ceremony. Unforgettable.

Rio Bravo (1959): Dean Martin’s boozing deputy may just be the best thing he ever did on film. And yes, that includes all those celebrity roasts! It’s hard to overshadow the Duke, but this is really Dino’s movie.

Days Of Wine And Roses (1962): Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick break your heart as married tipplers. The scene where Jack destroys the greenhouse still packs a wallop, half a century later.

Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966): Liz and Dick’s finest hour happens at cocktail hour, with alcohol fueling Edward Albee’s corrosive dialogue. “Never mix- never worry!”

National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978): Gloriously nutty college farce, with John Belushi’s Bluto the poster boy for nihilistic excess consumption. “To-ga! To-ga!”

My Favorite Year (1982): Overlooked comedy set in the golden age of live television with Peter O’Toole playing a former swashbuckling movie star turned lush. Best line: “Of course he’s beneath us. He’s an actor!”

The Verdict (1982): Paul Newman is brilliant as an alcoholic ambulance chaser who lands a big case he’s unlikely to win, but which gives him one last shot at reclaiming his career and self-respect.

Under The Volcano (1984): Albert Finney gives a tour-de-force performance as a dissolute diplomat whose alcoholism is spiraling out of control in a small, seedy Mexican town.

Withnail and I (1987): Richard E. Grant shines as a broke, bitchy, drunken actor in this scathing black comedy, which has (deservedly) attained cult status.

Leaving Las Vegas (1995): Nicolas Cage snagged an Oscar for his intense, haunted turn as a screenwriter in despair who goes to Las Vegas to drink himself to death.

The Big Lebowski (1998): The dude abides, even in the midst of a bizarre case of mistaken identity. And can he pack in those White Russians! A Coen Brothers peak.

Bridesmaids (2011): By combining booze and pills, maid of honor Kristen Wiig flips out on a plane to Vegas, paving the way for one wildly eventful bachelorette excursion. It’s one of the funniest movie scenes in years.

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This year I went so far as to poll my Facebook fans for their reactions to the ceremony itself. Result: comments were sharply divided, but over half were negative — not a figure that would make me happy as an organizer, even if my ratings for the night were up 11 percent.

The Oscars are a ship without a sail. Year after year, they keep trying new hosts, new approaches, but it’s been a long time since they hit it out of the park. In fact I can’t remember when… the ’90s?

Unfortunately, Seth MacFarlane’s deliberate desire to offend as well as amuse only made this year’s show seem that much more desperate to please, to somehow break through.

Too often the tone was mean-spirited, and left a sour taste. It seemed to reinforce the view that Tinseltown is all about money and surface beauty — an industry that discards you when you no longer offer either.

When a ceremony offers only fitful rewards for its viewers, it also exposes the “Hollywood Bubble” effect — the sense we are watching a show where all these rich, beautiful people are congratulating themselves for their amazing cultural contributions.

Just perhaps they think those contributions are more significant than they really are. And the whole thing is for and about them, more than about the movies and the movie public that pays for it all.

Displays of grace and humility seem all too rare these days.

Now back to our host, Mr. MacFarlane. Is it really the character of our times that you have to say something sexist, tasteless or downright cruel to get a laugh? The “I Saw Your Boobs” sequence, along with negative references to Chris Brown and Rihanna, Jean Dujardin, Jennifer Aniston and George Clooney, all come to mind.

Maybe it’s generational. Jennifer Lawrence was quoted as being a fan of the “Boobs” number, but Jane Fonda — God bless her — spoke out against it. I’m with you, Jane. It’s not that I’m a prude, believe me, but kids watch this show all over the world. Add to this important consideration something more basic: the remarks weren’t funny.

The Oscars used to be a fairly classy, prestigious event. Certainly an Oscar still spells big money for any film or player that lands one. But in recent years the awards night itself hasn’t lived up to the power and prestige of the prize itself. There’s still lots of glitz, but to my eyes, precious little glamour.

As to the results themselves, no one picture took a clear lead in Oscar trophies, which tends to boost momentum and excitement. This year different films were represented across Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, and Supporting Actor/Actress wins, which gave the evening a somewhat patchwork feeling.

Of course, we knew Argo was the odds-on favorite for Best Picture. People went nuts over this film, and I thought it was very good — but Best Picture? I applaud Ben Affleck’s comeback, and freely admit his talent as a director. The problem is he’s not a very interesting actor, and he starred in this film. “Actor, direct thyself!”

Prediction: in ten years, we’ll look back at the Argo win and shake our collective heads in wonderment, just as many of us do when we ponder 2005′s Crash today. Both Lincoln and Amour will stand the test of time better, I think.

I also enjoyed Silver Linings Playbook and thought Jennifer Lawrence was great in it. She’s a major talent, but if we really mean “Best Actress,” then my view is Emmanuelle Riva was robbed.

I think money and politics showed their hand in the Lawrence win. This is Hollywood officially anointing the next big star. Take-away: we will be seeing lots of Jennifer Lawrence for the foreseeable future. She will be positively unavoidable.

Many have said Amour was too depressing, but what do they expect given the subject matter? It’s a sad, tragic, but fairly universal story, beautifully captured on film. (At least it took top honors among foreign films.)

To close on a happier note, I was thrilled Searching For Sugarman won Best Documentary. We did a screening of it several days later, and I was amazed at how many people hadn’t seen it. It’s so much harder for documentaries to break through — a shame, since there are so many good ones out there.

In all, I’d rate it an average year for the movies, considerably worse than average for the ceremony itself. I’m sure the producers will be high-fiving each other about their 40 million viewers, and that’s fine.

But when all the backslapping is done, I hope they focus on how to do a better show next year, a program that’s actually worthy of the Oscar tradition.

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Still, it’s reassuring that Oscar can pay tribute to a comedy with its most important award.

Remember the story of the vaudevillian on his deathbed who remarked: “Dying is easy- comedy, that’s hard.” Outstanding comedy is arguably the most challenging type of film to pull off successfully, yet somehow over time the Academy hasn’t recognized this in the movies they nominate for Best Picture.

If, for instance, you scan the Best Picture nominees over the past six decades, comedies make up less than 10 percent of the total…roughly 3-4 films per decade. (Admittedly, I’m looking at what I call “pure” comedies, not “dramedies” or films you would first categorize as something else- say, a musical or romance).

Interestingly, this was not always the case. Oscar’s first fifteen years most always included a comedy among the Best Picture noms: by my count, a total of 16 comedies were cited between 1927-1942.

Certainly some of the titles include movies that don’t hold up so well: 1931′s The Front Page, and 1938′s You Can’t Take It With You (which actually won Best Picture!)

Other titles we still know and love today: She Done Him Wrong (1932), It Happened One Night (1934), which swept all the major awards, The Thin Man (1934), Ruggles of Red Gap (1935), Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (1936), Libeled Lady (1936), The Awful Truth (1937), Ninotchka (1939), The Philadelphia Story (1940), and Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941).

Of course, at this point the Second World War intervened, and a more serious mood came with it. Then in 1944, the Academy decided to limit the number of Best Picture nominees to five titles. From that point on, comedy never really made a comeback at the Oscars.

Even looking over the past three years-and a total of 30 Best Picture nods, the comic pickings have been exceedingly slim: only a couple of animated entries (Up, Toy Story 3), and one Woody Allen feature (Midnight In Paris) which would be better categorized as a romantic fantasy.

Is this oversight wholly the fault of the Academy? Who else, unless we all agree it’s somehow natural or fitting for great comedies to be treated like the second-class citizens of cinema.

Obviously I don’t agree. To demonstrate why, here’s my personal list of twenty superb comedies that were fully worthy of a Best Picture nod but unaccountably got overlooked:

Duck Soup (1933)- Pure comedic genius, and the finest Marx Brothers film ever. The Academy didn’t get the joke.

Modern Times (1936)- Oscar’s black eye- no real love for film pioneer Charlie Chaplin.

Bringing Up Baby (1938)/His Girl Friday (1940)- Incredibly, Howard Hawks’s two incredibly fast Cary Grant comedies scored not a single Oscar nod between them.

The Bank Dick (1940)- Mr. Fields was never cited for anything by the Academy. Was it because he liked his drink?

The Lady Eve/Sullivan’s Travels (1941)- Preston Sturges’s inspired double-header should have scored at least one Best Picture nod!

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)- Guinness’s comic masterpiece. Where was Oscar?

Adam’s Rib (1949)- This top Tracy/Hepburn outing drew just one major Oscar nod for its script. This classic got shafted!

Some Like It Hot (1959)- This was a glaring omission, but it was Chuck Heston’s year-and he was not that funny.

The Odd Couple (1968)- The best Lemmon/Matthau pairing ever, worthy of Best Picture and two Actor nods. Only Neil Simon was nominated for screenplay.

Harold and Maude (1971)- One of our most enduring black comedies and cult films- ignored by Oscar for its originality and edginess.

Love and Death (1973)- Woody’s most sustained comedy, but it would take another four years for the Academy to honor or even recognize him.

Young Frankenstein (1974)- Mel and Gene’s finest hour, and still one of the funniest movies ever made. How could they have missed this one?

National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)- Oscar didn’t seem to notice or care about this instant classic.

Airplane!- (1980)- If comedies are supposed to make you laugh, then this comedy takes a capital “C”. Overlooked entirely by the Academy. Too low-brow?

This Is Spinal Tap (1984)- Uproarious rock spoof by Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest and company, but the only music Oscar could hear that year was Amadeus.

Dazed and Confused (1993)- Richard Linklater’s brilliant breakthrough ensemble comedy, not deemed Oscar-worthy. (Just what is, then?)

The Big Lebowski (1998)- Clearly the Academy thought it was “The Small Lebowski”- it was completely shut out at the Oscars.

Being John Malkovich (1999)- Yes, it got Oscar nods for director Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman- but this wildly inventive comedy truly deserved a Best Picture nomination, and at least one win- for something!

—-

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This year one name in particular came to mind, as I realized I had yet to pay tribute to this consummate screen actor, a two time Oscar winner and astonishing eight time nominee, who left us too soon nearly a dozen years ago.

Jack Lemmon, who would have turned 88 this Friday, had a habit of saying to himself before every take: “It’s magic time”. This may strike some as mildly eccentric, but then for the most part, magic is precisely what he went on to create.

Viewers responded viscerally to the sheer humanity of the man. He was a terrific comic actor from the start, but he would prove just as skilled at dramatic roles.

John Uhler Lemmon III was born in 1925 to affluent parents in Newton, Massachusetts, and attended both Andover and Harvard. Reportedly, performing was in his blood from the start: he was always drawn to theatrical productions, and he was also a natural on the piano. Little wonder he ended up President of Harvard’s venerable drama society, the Hasty Pudding club.

After college and a stint in the Navy, he went to New York City, and studied acting under the famed Uta Hagen. He supported himself with piano gigs, and started getting small roles on- and off-Broadway, in radio and on live television.

He got his big break in 1954, co-starring opposite the gifted Judy Holliday in It Should Happen To You. Then, the very next year came the classic Mister Roberts.

Grouped with veteran stars Henry Fonda, James Cagney, and William Powell, Lemmon imbued the supporting role of Ensign Pulver with such humor and zest that he nabbed that year’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

It was full speed ahead from that point, but Jack never rested on his laurels. He kept growing as an actor. Five years later, in Billy Wilder’s The Apartment (perhaps my favorite Lemmon film), the actor first displayed his particular gift for playing vulnerable or neurotic characters. As the years progressed, his fearlessness in channeling personal pain and conflict into his roles paid off with a slew of indelible performances.

For those who want to re-experience this beloved actor’s finest work, here’s my own list of top Lemmon outings:

Mister Roberts (1955)- Adapted from Josh Logan’s Broadway hit, this service drama tells of Lt. Doug Roberts (Henry Fonda), an officer on a WWII cargo ship, desperate to see action, who instead has to cope with irascible, by-the-book Captain Morton (James Cagney). Roberts is frustrated by life aboard the SS “Reluctant,” but thankfully Ensign Pulver (Lemmon)-”in charge of laundry and morale”-is on board to provide him and the crew with some much-needed laughs and sympathy. Returning to the big screen after an eight-year absence, Fonda successfully recreated his indelible stage role under the superb direction of Mervyn LeRoy, who replaced John Ford when Ford and Fonda literally came to blows just weeks into shooting! Young Lemmon must have been humbled by the cast line-up for this film: Fonda, Cagney, and the legendary William Powell (in his final screen role as a philosophical ship doctor). Yet his manic energy was ideal for Pulver, and Lemmon held his own with Hollywood’s best in a career-making role. Cagney is also aces as the world’s touchiest skipper. All aboard for “Mister Roberts”!

Some Like It Hot (1959)- Out of work musicians Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Lemmon) snag a job performing in Illinois, only to witness the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre after the gig. To escape the gangsters on their tail, the two disguise themselves as female musicians, and head to Florida with an all-girl orchestra. Both men fall for lead singer Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe), but their fake identities prevent them from acting on their desires- at least at first. Long before Tootsie and Mrs. Doubtfire, Billy Wilder gave us this comic, gender-bending masterpiece. Lemmon and Curtis make an ideal comic duo, Monroe sparkles as the object of their sisterly affections, and Joe E. Brown nearly steals the picture as a dotty millionaire besotted with Lemmon (in female form).

The Apartment (1960)- C.C. Baxter (Lemmon), a junior executive in an insurance company, climbs the corporate ladder by lending out his conveniently located apartment for the assignations of his superiors. Complications begin when the young man falls for elevator girl Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), who is also the big boss’s girlfriend. Here director Billy Wilder seamlessly blends comedy, romance and pathos in this touching tale of a lonely man forced to confront the corruption of his life just as he falls helplessly in love. With winning performances by all- and a priceless script by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond- this film deservedly won Best Picture of 1960. Look for Fred MacMurray playing against type as Fran’s married lover.

The Days Of Wine and Roses (1962)- After an initially awkward meeting at a boat party, publicist Joe Clay (Lemmon) and Kirsten Arnesen (Lee Remick) fall madly in love. The social and professional demands of the public-relations racket are nothing new to Joe, but gradually he converts Kirsten to his daily routine of swilling cocktails at most any hour. Over time, alcohol becomes integral to the young newlyweds’ relationship, and threatens to destroy their life together. A downbeat love story pickled in bile and booze, this melodrama of addiction by the great Blake Edwards skirts the same terrain as “Lost Weekend” without ever getting preachy. Charles Bickford lends terrific support as Kirsten’s widower father, as does Jack Klugman in a small role as Joe’s AA sponsor. “Days” is a hard-hitting drama about love in the ruins, buoyed by Henry Mancini’s melancholic jazz score.

The Odd Couple (1968)- When fussy, uptight Felix Unger (Lemmon) is thrown out of the house by his wife, he wanders the streets of New York in a depressive funk. Concerned about his best friend’s mental state, the already divorced Oscar Madison (Walter Matthau) invites Felix to move in. Horrendously mismatched, Oscar and Felix are soon at each other’s throats. Based on Neil Simon’s award-winning Broadway play (in which Matthau also starred), “The Odd Couple” was the second and best pairing of real-life buddies Lemmon and Matthau, and spawned a long-running TV series. The inspired premise of a platonic, male love/hate relationship is best realized in this, the original film, with Lemmon’s meticulous, melancholy Felix counter-balanced by Matthau’s gruff Oscar, a carefree sportswriter who gives new meaning to the word “slovenly.” In particular, don’t miss the hilarious scenes with the duo’s upstairs neighbors, the Pigeon sisters.

The China Syndrome (1979)- To the consternation of her bosses, ambitious TV reporter Kimberly Wells (Jane Fonda) wants to get away from doing cheesy lifestyle segments and latch on to a serious story. She inadvertently finds one when she and cameraman Richard Adams (Michael Douglas) go to cover a day in the life of a nearby power plant, and witness some frightening irregularities. Not surprisingly, the powers-that-be don’t want their cover blown on these life-threatening issues, but senior plant official Jack Godell (Lemmon) won’t accept a cover-up. This timely nail-biter is effective not only because director James Bridges gets all the fundamentals right, but because its explosive subject matter would soon hit home with a terrifying real-life incident at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. Lemmon’s Godell is a shattering portrayal, for which the actor received an Oscar nod, and Fonda is appealing and believable as a journalist who wants to be more than a pretty face. Co-star Douglas also produced.

Missing (1983)- Tragic fact-based story of writer Charles Horman (John Shea) who disappears while covering political persecution in a South American country. His father Ed (Lemmon) travels there to locate him, or at least discover what happened to him. Charles’s wife Beth (Sissy Spacek), who knows much more than Ed about real conditions and practices there, sets aside past issues with her father-in-law to push for the truth. Director Costa-Gavras’s first American made film is a stunning political thriller, elevated not only by the ring of truth but a shattering Oscar-nominated performance by Lemmon. His Ed Horman is an imperfect father but a good American, who feels betrayed by the country he trusted, but also by his failure to make peace with a son he never fully accepted. Spacek makes the complex character of Beth her own, and we feel immense sympathy for this odd couple as they grope for answers they won’t enjoy hearing.

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)- As a “cold” real-estate market dampens prospects, motivation consultant Blake (Alec Baldwin) challenges the sales staff at Premiere Properties to a pointedly competitive contest: find buyers or lose your position. Shelley “The Machine” Levine (Lemmon), once a star huckster, can’t seem to cut a break, and with a daughter in the hospital, becomes increasingly frantic. Meanwhile, egotistical Ricky Roma (Al Pacino) appears to be thriving amid the gloom, while beleaguered colleagues Dave Moss (Ed Harris) and George Aaronow (Alan Arkin) resort to a criminal scheme to get ahead. But who really wins and loses in this cutthroat set-up? Director James Foley’s lacerating drama, adapted from David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, is equal parts Arthur Miller and bald critique of Reaganomics-gone-bad. The terse dialogue, dreary office setting, and fist-gnawing sense of competition all push this stylish film into dramatic overdrive. Yet the heart and soul of “Glengarry” belongs to the tremendous ensemble cast: Arkin, Harris, Baldwin, and Pacino deliver stellar work, and Lemmon is brilliant as the achingly pathetic Levine. Edgy and dark, “Glengarry” endures as a potent film about white-collar desperation and the instinct for survival.

Jack Lemmon, thanks for the magic.

—-

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Of course, that was the same question we all confronted a decade earlier with DVDs, which not only played better but were more durable- and portable- than VHS tapes.

My answer back then was to buy, but to be very choosy…just the timeless, acclaimed titles I’d want my kids to see and that friends would want to borrow. Other movies I could simply rent.

Did I make a mistake? Because now, those like myself who have built up extensive DVD libraries are shelling out $20 on average for some of the same titles on blu-ray.

Part of this is the inevitable “planned obsolescence” we’ve witnessed in tapes/cds, computers, and more.

Recognizing this, I often grit my teeth and make the upgrade, but I do it even more selectively than before.

Only my absolute favorite classics make the cut to blu-ray, along with films that are particularly scenic or graphic, with a strong use of imagery and color.

And then of course there are great movies with music.

One musical film in particular has made me understand what blu-ray brings to the home movie experience, particularly when you have a large flat screen and quality surround speakers at hand.

It’s my (and many others’) pick for the best rock concert movie ever: Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz (1978).

For those in the dark, this was Scorsese’s filming of The Band’s farewell concert at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom on Thanksgiving Day, 1976.

Members of The Band – Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson- had been touring a grueling sixteen years by that point, collaborating first with Ronnie Hawkins, and later playing back-up for Bob Dylan.

They had finally decided to pack it in, and viewed the event as a fitting send-off. Here, in top form, they play their biggest hits, including the immortal “Up On Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”. But it hardly ends there.

Over the course of the concert, the group is joined by a procession of music greats, including the aforementioned Hawkins and Dylan, as well as Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Dr. John, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Paul Butterfield, Emmylou Harris, and The Staple Singers.

Actual performance footage is deftly intercut with bandmate interviews backstage, featuring some juicy reminiscences of early touring days.

Over repeat viewings the excellence in both shooting and editing becomes increasingly evident. No big surprise, with Marty S. at the helm, and seasoned pros like Vilmos Zsigmond and Laszlo Kovacs manning the cameras.

Though I just recently discovered that “Waltz” was an early blu-ray release from back in ’06, I only bought my own copy about a year ago since I already had the DVD.

I have a cousin from Boston who often comes down to stay and always requests an after-dinner screening, usually fueled by copious quantities of red wine.

Roughly two visits ago, we put on “Waltz”, and were blown away. We not only watched the whole thing, transfixed- we went through it again and re-watched the highlights. What hit us?

Of course, the music itself is incredible, but this time around it sounded better- somehow richer- than ever before. (We heeded Scorsese’s opening direction to his audience: “This movie should be played loud!”)

But it was more than that. Through the power of blu-ray, the concert literally looked like it’d been shot last week. How could this be over 36 years ago, when we were all in high-school?

Everyone looks so young- Joni, Dylan, Van, Neil, folks whose voices and faces have since weathered the inevitable effects of time.

And watching this historic performance, we also recognized that this particular moment in rock presaged a fundamental change in popular music. (Disco was already becoming all the rage.)

Finally, three of the five “Band” members- Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, and most recently, the great Levon Helm- are no longer with us, a void that imbues “Waltz” with a melancholy air.

All these reactions and realizations only make the experience that much more riveting and powerful.

Now an actual “Waltz” phenomenon has begun in our house. Whenever we have a dinner party, there’s usually a contingent that joins me downstairs afterwards, ostensibly just to catch a segment or two of “Waltz”… maybe Joni singing “Coyote” or Clapton jamming on “Further On Up The Road”.

The funny part is we never end up watching just one or two tracks. We get hooked, and there’s no turning us away from the screen. I’ve watched part or all of “Waltz” at least eight times over the past few months, and guess what- I never tire of it.

Admittedly, I usually fast-forward over the Neil Diamond segment, and the spoken segments by Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Michael McClure seem to come out of nowhere and are eminently skippable.

Levon Helm also criticized the film’s emphasis on the then telegenic, well-spoken Robbie Robertson, over the band’s other members. That’s fair enough.

Still, that leaves plenty to love and admire in “The Last Waltz”. Rock fans: if there’s one title that benefits from blu-ray and merits a purchase, this is it.

Here’s your chance to start a “Last Waltz” happening in your own home. Don’t forget to crank up the volume!

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Tying together or summing up all that has gone on before, they are a large part of what make great movies great.

After all, assuming it’s not total dreck, only at the end of a film can we really and truly judge it…that short period sitting in our seats – thinking, feeling, reacting – as the final credits roll, and before the house lights come up.

Many great movie endings are marked by a parting line of dialogue that over time becomes almost as familiar as your own name.

All great movies- and great movie endings- stay in our memories as normal or indifferent ones never could. They’re like great taglines- their strength lies in the very fact that we can’t forget them.

I knew this topic would be well covered, so I did a Google search on the best movie endings of all time. There are indeed multiple sources that publish a top ten, twenty-five or fifty list, and the same, more obvious titles tend to crop up again and again.

Here they are:

1. King Kong (1933)
2. Gone With The Wind (1939)
3. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
4. Citizen Kane (1941)
5. Casablanca (1942)
6. Shane (1953)
7. The Searchers (1956)
8. Some Like It Hot (1959)
9. Psycho (1960)
10. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
11. The Graduate (1967)
12. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
13. Planet Of The Apes (1968)
14. The Godfather (1972)
15. Chinatown (1974)
16. The Usual Suspects (1995)
17. American Beauty (1999)
18. Memento (2000)
19. Batman Begins (2005)
20. There Will Be Blood (2007)

It’s difficult to make the case (with one or two exceptions) that these titles don’t make the grade. Most of these films- and their endings- remain entrenched in our popular culture decades after they first appeared.

But while it’s a terrific list, it’s only scratching the surface. This second top twenty compilation contains English-language films with memorable endings that make the grade for me…yet surprisingly, I saw none of these listed on the sites I visited.

I’ve also inserted little cues and clues after each to jog memories, while trying to avoid outright “spoilers”.

1. Modern Times (1936)- “Smile”- we’ll get along.
2. Bringing Up Baby (1938)- Dinosaur collapse.
3. The Maltese Falcon (1941)- “The stuff that dreams are made of”.
4. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)- “To my big brother George- the richest man in town”.
5. Notorious (1946)- Alex faces the music.
6. Sunset Boulevard (1950)- Norma’s close-up.
7. On The Waterfront (1954)- Terry walks the final stretch.
8. The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)- the Colonel blows it up
9. The Apartment (1960)- “Shut up and deal”.
10. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)- “Hey, Boo”.
11. Charade (1963)- Audrey loves him, whatever his name is.
12. Midnight Cowboy (1969)- Ratso’s last trip.
13. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (1969)- Shoot-out and freeze frame.
14. The French Connection (1971)- Popeye’s last shot.
15. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)- the Chief breaks out.
16. The Deer Hunter (1978)- God Bless America.
17. Field of Dreams (1989)- Father and son play catch.
18. The Fugitive (1996)- The Marshal needs a rest.
19. Traffic (2000)- “We’re here for our daughter”/ Night game.
20. Melancholia (2011)- Bracing for impact.

Here’s to fresh starts, and strong finishes!

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