As Lou Gehrig once said, “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” Well, I think I’m a pretty damn lucky guy myself. Why? Because if you find that one passion which completely takes over you—I’m talking about a passion so searing inside that it’s wild like lightning—then you’ve come to recognize your course in life. Whatever that calling is, it’s a gift that each one of us carries but many miss the opportunity to act upon. Life… just happens, you know? It’s understandable. But when you see this passion unfurl with remarkable clarity so early in your formative years, it’s your responsibility to pay that gift back by using it. In fact, it should be nothing less than expected of you because, otherwise, you commit a crime against yourself and treason toward the world at large; this is something you’ve got to share, and you better share it loud.
I found my passion, and I found it young: the movies. And as I write with some absurd need to communicate with myself now that I’ve reached another decade in my life, this is a reminder that I have this gift, this NEED to write and tell stories. However good I am at it is for others to decide; that’s not my concern. My radar focus is to ensure that I do exactly what it is I’m doing right now and follow my bliss. So I set aside some movies for me to remember and share—a record of my inspirations and aspirations. These are films that, as the cliché goes, have shaped me to become the person that I am today. They’re my tool kit—my painter’s palette or sculptor’s mold. I can try to blow hot air about what I believe their significance is, but that’s not what made them special. No, it was their humanity. To make a long story short, I wouldn’t be what I am today without them. And as the years grind forward, they’ll bring me comfort when I’m feeling low, vigor when I stagnate, and happiness through and through—just like they have countless times before. I wish that everyone experiences what I have been so fortunate to be blessed with these first 30 years. Now, like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, I’ll continue to ride the lightning with clamor and force. Life is too short for any comprises.
1. On the Waterfront (1954) 
2. Rocco and His Brothers (1960)
3. The Crowd (1928)
4. The Rules of the Game (1939)
5. Nashville (1975)/McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
6. Barry Lyndon (1975)
7. Ashes and Diamonds (1958)
8. Badlands (1973)
9. L’Avventura (1960)
10. Viridiana (1961)
11. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
12. Le Samouraï (1967)
13. The Lady Eve (1941)
14. The Last Picture Show (1971)
15. In the Mood for Love (2000)
16. To Be or Not To Be (1942)
17. Jules and Jim (1962)
18. Ran (1985)
19. The Conformist (1971)
20. Pierrot le Fou (1965)
21. The Music Room (1958)
22. The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)
23. Mon oncle d’Amérique (1980)
24. Local Hero (1983)
25. The Hustler (1961)
26. Scorpio Rising (1964)
27. Diner (1982)
28. A Moment of Innocence (1996)
29. Teorema (1968)
30. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960)
Waterfront Cinema 