"The Battle of Algiers" - A country is occupied by an imperialistic superpower seeking to maintain its indigenous population as second-class citizens. The situation gets hairy when the locals, previously disgruntled pushovers, take offense and begin to strike back with equally self-righteous and gruesome terrorist attacks. Sound familiar?
Any current international endeavors aside, this is a description of the history of Algeria from 1954-62, when oppressed locals dealt with French colonialists. The 1965 film from writer/director Gillo Pontecorvo is a gritty and documentary-like history lesson for anyone willing to watch.
Originally panned as communist propaganda and embraced by the Black Panthers as a training video, the film is currently experiencing a revival. The Pentagon and State Department knew as much when last year they screened the film for analysts to show how to deal with insurgents in Iraq.
Regardless of political affiliation, this film is a classic must-see for history and political science students alike.
"Diner" - Sorry: Quirky dialogue that feels authentic and captures the mundane reality of most everyday conversations did not originate with Quentin Tarantino.
This 1982 comedic drama is the first directorial effort from Barry Levinson, who would go on to helm "The Natural," "Sleepers," "Wag the Dog" and "Rain Man," winner of the 1989 Academy Award for Best Picture.
With a who's who of then up-and-coming actors in the early '80s including Steve Guttenberg, Paul Reiser, Kevin Bacon and Mickey Rourke, Levinson recreates the '50s Baltimore of his youth.
The connections to other recent quote-worthy films are so numerous it's surprising more people do not know about this film.
Help rescue this film from obscurity so everyone will know where the real diner reference to Madonna comes from (not "Reservoir Dogs").
