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In honor of Oscar week, an assortment of lists guaranteed to provoke debate.1. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (Union Square 16, New York, NY, 1999)-A buddy of mine got the tickets a week in advance, and we stood in line for 3 hours for seats in the second row for one of the worst movies I've ever seen, proving what I call the Emmerich/Devlin principle: amount of hype is inversely proportional to the quality of the product. 2. Touch of Evil (original cut) (Film Forum, New York, NY, 1998)-Bonus: the guy in front of me was doing these really cool card tricks for his date. They made me feel so, well, alone… 3. Naked (Key Theater, Washington, DC, 1994)-It was only a thirty minute wait for the 9:30 show, but we got to see the disturbed countenances on the members of the 7:15 audience as they left the theater. One of my friends asked a girl what she thought, and she opined: "It was liked sulfuric acid being thrown up at the screen." 4. The Awful Truth/Mad Dog and Glory/Straight Time (Blockbuster Video, Atlanta, GA, 1992)-I started off approximately twelfth in line. The one clerk who was working that night persisted in conversing with each of the customers about their evening's selections. He would then proceed to suggest another movie to them and go out into the racks to retrieve it. This was one of those times in my life where I honestly believed the world was conspiring against me (which I found out for a fact after watching Mad Dog and Glory). 5. "I feel the need, the need for speed."
2. Book of Lists: Journey of a Listmaster
3. Sterne in a Skinner Box
4. Monikker: Behind the Music
5. Taking the Road Oft Traveled
2. Elliott Gould in The Long Goodbye
3. Elliott Gould in M*A*S*H
4. Elliott Gould in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
5. Elliott Gould in The Devil and Max Devlin
2. The Hunger
3. Titanic
4. Rocky IV
5. The Island of Dr. Moreau
6. Two Moon Junction
7. Nightmare on Elm Street IV: The Dream Warriors
8. Losin' It
9. Dressed to Kill
10. Summer School
11. Fright Night
Charles Sterne
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