I believe that there are very few films that can change your life. They entertain, inform, impress, give pause and a variety of other influences and effects. But it takes the collision of a point in time in your life, being in a particular frame of mind, in some random location, thinking ideas of little consequence when a series of frames comes onto the screen and burn themselves into your synapses. Suddenly, you are different. This happened to me the first time I watched La dolce vita and it has shaped my life ever since. I won’t go into details (they are best left to my posthumous memoirs) but don’t discount the effects movies can have on your life.

Director:  Federico Fellini Writer:  Federico Fellini; Ennio Flaiano; Tullio Pinelli; Brunello Rondi; John Francis Lane; Pier Paolo Pasolini Cast:
Marcello Mastroianni -  Marcello Rubini Anita Ekberg -  Sylvia Anouk Aimee -  Maddalena Yvonne Furneaux -  Emma Magali Noel -  Fanny Alain Cuny -  Steiner Annibale Ninchi -  Marcello’s father Walter Santesso -  Paparazzo		Valeria Ciangottini -  Paola Riccardo Garrone -  Riccardo, the Villa Owner Ida Galli -  Debutante of the Year Audrey McDonald -  Jane Polidor -  Clown Alain Dijon -  Frankie Stout Enzo Cerusico -  Newspaper photographer Giulio Paradisi -  Newspaper photographer

One day I made a date with a woman whom I had met through mutual interest. She seemed funny, well read, intelligent, opinionated, argumentative, sappy, creative, etc. It went well and we began seeing one another constantly. In a short period of time, I found myself seeing a whole new group of people, going to places I hadn’t frequented before and doing stuff that I hadn’t done before. Where were my friends, my hangouts, my routines? Most has been usurped and I hadn’t even noticed. I was in a new world not of my making and had little control over what was going on. Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline) knows what I mean. He’s hired to double for POTUS and due to circumstances beyond his control, one event turns into his life. It is only when Ellen Mitchell (Sigourney Weaver), the President’s somewhat estranged wife, asks who he is does he realize the depths to which the fraud has sunk. Now he needs to figure out how to extricate himself and still keep his soul intact.

Director:  Ivan Reitman Writer:  Gary Ross Cast:
Kevin Kline -  Dave Kovic/Bill Mitchell Sigourney Weaver -  Ellen Mitchell Frank Langella -  Bob Alexander Kevin Dunn -  Alan Reed Ving Rhames -  Duane Stevenson Ben Kingsley -  Vice President Nance Charles Grodin -  Murray Blum Faith Prince -  Alice		Genevieve Robert -  Vice-President’s Wife Stephen Root -  Don Durenberger Gary Ross -  2nd Policeman Alba Oms -  Lola John McLaughlin -  Himself Jason Reitman -  Vice President’s Son Richard Reeves -  Himself Catherine Reitman -  Girl at Durenberger’s

Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russel) has developed what he considers a foolproof ritual to murder his victims. He doesn’t drink, he sweetalks his victims, he waits until they are inebriated and he follows them when they drive off to their next destination. He finds a deserted stretch of road, circles around and floors it when their car heads towards him. As his car has been death proofed to prevent serious injury, he can drive straight into them and usually walk away. He is able to kill all of the passengers including Shanna (Jordan Ladd), Arlene (Vanessa Ferlito), and Julia (Sydney Tamiia Poitier). He gets away with a broken nose and collar bone plus an index finger according to Dr. Dakota Block (Marley Shelton) when she’s questioned by Edgar McGraw (James Parks) and his son Earl (Michael Parks). She’s none too happy about it though as she struts her doctor catwalk stuff down the hall. I’ve never been treated by a doc as striking as her and I’d welcome having her makeup account.

Director:  Quentin Tarantino Writer:  Quentin Tarantino Cast:
Kurt Russell -  Stuntman Mike Zoe Bell -  Herself Rosario Dawson -  Abernathy Vanessa Ferlito -  Arlene Sydney Tamiia Poitier -  Jungle Julia Tracie Thoms -  Kim Rose McGowan -  Pam Jordan Ladd -  Shanna		Mary Elizabeth Winstead -  Lee Quentin Tarantino -  Warren Marcy Harriell -  Marcy Eli Roth -  Dov Omar Doom -  Nate Michael Bacall -  Omar Monica Staggs -  Lanna Frank Jonathan Loughran -  Jasper

A family funeral always brings out the best in people. A stranger who introduces himself as Peter (Peter Dinklage) shows up at the funeral of Daniel (Matthew MacFadyen) and Robert’s (Rupert Graves) father with the intent of blackmail. He’s after a bundle not to show around pictures he has proving the affair he had with their father. Due to circumstances beyond his control, he finds himself tied up in curtain cord, tripping on acid that has another fellow naked on the roof admiring the birdies and learning why mum says not to jump on the furniture. After crashing his noggin on a table, his hosts figure him dead and spend a moment trying to think of where they can stash his body for the duration of his ex-lovers’ and their dad’s funeral. Yeah, it didn’t take me all that long to reach the same conclusion.

Director:  Frank Oz Writer:  Dean Craig Cast:
Matthew MacFadyen -  Daniel Keeley Hawes -  Jane Andy Nyman -  Howard Ewen Bremner -  Justin Daisy Donovan -  Martha Alan Tudyk -  Simon Smith Jane Asher -  Sandra Kris Marshall -  Troy		Rupert Graves -  Robert Peter Vaughan -  Uncle Alfie Thomas Wheatley -  Reverend Davis Peter Egan -  Victor Peter Dinklage -  Peter Brendan O’Hea -  Undertaker Jeremy Booth -  Mourner Angela Curran -  Sandra’s Friend

Ahh… the joys of youth. You figure you know everything, you’re immortal and there is no point in listening to anyone older. Sam Decker (Dolph Lundgren) has taken the unenviable chore of monitoring detention class, handling a half dozen or so miscreants which is like herding cats. But it takes a band of armed Bosnian villains invading the school en route to their true goal to show the aimless youth that they don’t know much about anything, particularly survival.

Director:  Sidney J. Furie; Darryl Wharton Writer:  Paul Lynch; John Sheppard; D.J. Sheppard Cast:
Dolph Lundgren -  Sam Decker Alex Karzis -  Chester Lamb Kata Dobó -  Gloria Waylon Corey Sevier -  Mick Ashton Dov Tiefenbach -  Willy Lopez K.C. Collins -  Hogie Hogarth Mpho Koaho -  Jay Tee Barrow Larry Day -  Earl Hendorf		Jennifer Baxter -  Margo Conroy Danielle Hampton -  Alicia Roberts Nicole Dicker -  Charlee Turkle Joseph Scoren -  Viktor Mif -  Alek Roy Lewis -  Lyle Neeson Shawn Roberts -  Corey Washington Alan Catlin -  Milt Dover