Do The Right Thing (1989)

It's the hottest day of the year in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and the racial tension on one particular block is bubbling to a riotous and turbulent boil. Writer and director Spike Lee stars as Mookie, a young black pizza delivery boy who lacks any true sense of responsibility or purpose. Racial worlds clash around him as he ambles lazily around town, pizza box in hand. His good friend Buggin Out (who happens to have inspired the avatar and screen name for yours truly) has started a vicious boycott of Sal's Pizzeria, Mookie's employer, because there are "no brothers" up on Sal's wall of fame, which is entirely dominated by photos of Italian celebrities; Bed-Stuy local legend Radio Raheem struts around town with his massive boom box, blasting "Fight The Power" by Public Enemy, a song written specifically for the movie; a Korean couple running a convenience store struggle to get along with their often contentious African American neighbors. That's only a few of the many sub-story lines present in this exuberant and resplendent film.

I just gotta say, this is legitimately my favorite film of all time. It's vibrant, fresh, funny, thought-provoking, stylish, quirky...I could go on and on. First, jaw dropping mise en scene; you can actually feel the heat just through the images by use of heavy reds, canted camera angles, and lighting. There are so many interesting stories and characters interwoven into an extremely well crafted screen play, each element significant to the message of the film (a message that can require several viewings to fully understand). Incredible performances by John Turturro, Ossie Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Spike Lee, and Giancarlo Esposito as Buggin Out, who I was shocked to find out is also Gus from Breaking Bad. The soundtrack is excellent, dominated mostly by a jazzy original score as well as "Fight the Power," which must by played nearly 30 times in the film as an aural motif. No doubt Spike Lee's masterpiece, this film will suck you right in, chew you up, and spit you out mangled, sweaty, and a little confused. For a movie that will make you laugh, cry, think, smile, blush, fume with frustration...Jesus, would you just watch it, please? Please. It's my favorite movie. It's very widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. Please watch it. Thank you.

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Roman Polansky's first Hollywood production tells the story of a young woman (Mia Farrow) unknowingly and unwillingly giving birth to the spawn of Satan. Set in a gothic apartment complex in New York, the story follows Rosemary and her aspiring-actor husband (John Cassavettes), their separate relationships with the creepy old neighbors, a suspicious conception, the nightmarish pregnancy, and the birth of Satan's son in the chilling final scene.

This is one of those movies that has come to be defined by the "twist" in the final scene. Much like people think of Carrie as "that movie about the unpopular girl who goes to the prom and kills everyone with telekinesis," many think of Rosemary's Baby as "that movie about the girl who gives birth to the devil." But knowing the ending doesn't cheapen the effect of this truly haunting classic of the horror genre. Even if you aren't scared of the occult and Satan, the real scares in this film come from the imagery, which is bleak and macabre with all the pale colors and gothic settings. The paleness contrasts really effectively with the few devil-oriented scenes to make them especially dark and scary. The score is equally haunting. Based on a brooding theme that prominently features an eerie harpsichord and ghostly female vocals, the music evokes a creepy feeling that matches the setting perfectly. Listening to the music alone is enough to give me nightmares.

This film is one of my favorites of all time, and widely considered to be one of the top horror films ever. For someone who wants to explore the genre more, this is a great introduction to the golden age of horror, when scares were based on cinematography, sound, and other elements that are important to all films, rather than the gore and surprising visuals that make up the cheap scares in modern horror blockbusters.