The Quiet Man (1952) – During a summer internship between my freshman and sophomore years of college I was introduced to this movie by a co-worker who was aware of my appreciation of John Wayne. He insisted that this was the best of Wayne’s movies. I fell in love with the location and direction of the film… I’m a sucker for the character actors that showed up in a number of John Wayne’s films over the years – fantastic story, great characters.

The Godfather (1972 – Admittedly, this one is on everybody’s top film lists, but each time I watch the Godfather, I feel a wave of nostalgia for a time that has moved on – this is the quintessencial film that indentifies the American experience filled with vivid characters and a story that just pulls you in.


Alien (1979) – as a child, my father took me to see Alien, and I mesmerized. was hooked for life. So many aspects of this film became an obsession for me – H.R. Giger’s artwork, the storytelling, the backstory behind the creation of the film and the creature, and an introduction to so many wonderful actors that I would follow for years: Harry Dean Stanton, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt. As a teen ager, my brothers and I would create a haunted house each year in our parents garage, and for a number of those years, Alien was the basis for that event.

Blade Runner (1982) – as an Industrial Design student at Michigan State University, Syd Mead’s wonderful creations of a future world grabbed ahold of my attention and imagination. My affection for his artwork has remained intact as an adult. Mead’s blueprint for “scorched earth future” became the blueprint for movies over the next 30 years. A truely creative story and an exquisite attention to detail… these characters in this movie are amongst my favorites of all time.