TOP 10 "SURF" MOVIES

Does this happen to you? You're plopped down in front of the TV and you are assiduously exercising your evolutionary advantage - your opposable thumb, You flip through channels working your attention deficit to the max and it all bores you.

Then you see something. It's a film. You've seen it before. You know it well. You can quote lines. It's an old friend, Without even thinking, you visit it. Catch a few scenes, Remind yourself why you like this film.

I do this, a lot. I watch films over and over again. I call them MY SURF MOVIES,  I'm not talkind Annette and Frankie beach party films. No, these are my channel surfing movies.

These aren't necessarily good. Some can be down right awful, but I'm drawn to them. They evoke guilty pleasure. Some are action fllms, Some are comedies, Some are musicals.

I got to thinking, which ones do I really like and does it mean anythin? So I started jotting them down. I noticed in some, I just want to see a particular scene and then there are some suck me in. It makes no difference how insipid or bad they may be. I forgive them, much like I forgive my close friends.

I did notice eye candy can certainly add to my pleasure. I also noticed I like kids films, and some that appeal to my less refined sensibilities, like schmaltz and nostalgia.

In an open environment of sharing, here are ten of my favorite SURF MOVIES. In no particular order.

DIE HARD
Yippee Ki-Yeah mo.......! The reluctant, bloodied, shoeless, endlessly resourceful hero is a an out of touch schmuck with traditional vales.  I love the scene when Bruce Willis' wife, sees Alexander Godunov storming around and she says: "He's still alive. Only John can get someone that angry."

THE CUTTING EDGE
The terribly cute Moira Kelly as the ice princess and DB Sweeney as the lunch pail scrapper hockey player, bicker and skate to romance. Sappy, predictable and like good chocolate ice cream, irresistible. Plus it's directed by Starsky.

GROUNDHOG DAY
Phil: "I'm a god. I'm not *the* God... I don't think."
Rita: "You're not a god. You can take my word for it; this is twelve years of Catholic school talking."
This should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me. I love this film. Bill Murray's day trapped in a time continuum warp is at once funny and wise. There are so many quotes, so many great scenes.

THE AWFUL TRUTH
If you see one romantic comedy form the 30's, this is the one. Cary Grant and Irene Dunne at the top of the comedic game are delightful. She's so ditzy and so sexy. And what guy wouldn't want to be Cary Grant?

LEGALLY BLONDE
A fish out of water film with a twist, the fish is a Valley Girl. The water is stuffy, snotty Harvard. Reese is great, the supporting cast is great, but my real guilty pleasure is Selma Blair. I can't and won't explain it.

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
A joyous satire on Hollywood and I could watch the Moses Supposes scene forever. It simply makes me smile. To get myself in a good mood, I sometimes sing that ditty to myself and image dancing like Kelly and O'Connor. That's a scary thought!

THE FIFTH ELEMENT
It's not great SciFi. The script is nonsensical. The acting is adequate, but it all works.

BLAST FOR THE PAST
If you haven't seen this little gem, check it out. I love the scene where Brendan Fraser tears up the dance floor with the moves his mother taught him.

WITNESS
A moral good cop hides out with the even more moral Amish country while amoral bad cops hunt him. The barn raising scene strikes a longing for community rarely seen in film.

FERRIS BUELLAR'S DAY OFF
Mia Sara is the eye candy, but the raucous good nature of this film reminds us all of the day we should have cut school.

I'm only scratching the surface. I have a ton more. I bet you have some films just like this. Do you have any Surf movies? Tell me. Maybe we can plan a film festival.

Garen has been sitting in the dark for over 30 years as an film exhibitor, consultant and reviewer. You may have seen him on NE Cable or some other Boston station.  More likely you heard him pontificating about films on NPR, TKK, RKO, New Hampshire Public Radio, or any number of other stations he's been on, but one thing is certain, he loves, and knows, film.