1. DR. STRANGELOVE

What would the 60's have been without war protests? The 50's without sex and drugs! Or, for that matter, the 80's without parachute pants. This parody of a concept introduced in "Fail Safe" actually surpasses it's source, by not only presenting the terrifying possibilities, but by being funny as hell. Some people don't like Stanley Kubrick or Peter Sellers. My argument is this movie. If they don't like it, I won't talk movies with them anymore, because they obviously aren't intelligent enough to get something more thought provoking than a driver's ed film. In my humble opinion.

2. THE GRADUATE

The 60's began the infamous sexual revolution, a battle which was sadly over by the time I got to college. The youth, rather than throw rocks or drive hot rods, would fornicate freely to fight the oppressive grip of their elders. One brave soldier, Benjamin Braddock, used an age old ploy in this war: Know thine enemy, in the biblical sense, by doing them. This movie helped lighten the moods about sex by showing it for what it is. funny and troublesome. I'm bitter.

3. EASY RIDER

Helmet laws? Ha! Kerouac fell out of a wheelie with nothing between his skull and the pavement but a goatee and a silly little beret. I don't know that for a fact, but man, you don't know what the road is like, man. Things were different back then. At least I assume so, according to this movie which is well received by the type of people it presents. And it looks so appealing, no cares in the world, cruising along, chugging a beer to wash the bugs from your teeth. America.

4. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD

Many years ago, there was a law. The bad guys couldn't win. They could do whatever they did, but they had to pay in the end. Even after this rule was gone, people tended to follow it. This movie's ending, shocking at the time and damn creepy now, was revolutionary. It reflected a rebellion taking place in film against tried and true conventions. With twists deemed sick by some, the movie did what formulaic horror films don't: scared you.

5. FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!

Russ Meyer is a legend. Sure, you may point out that his films exploited women, glorified violence, and were shallow and insipid, but I would agree. That's why he's a legend. The front line always takes the risks, gets the casualties. Without Meyer pushing the line with movies like this (my favorite by him) things slightly less taboo but artfully done would have never been allowed. By today's standards the movie is pretty tame, but he pushed that line hard over the years.

1. BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID

One of the first, and definitely the best, revisionist westerns, this flick artfully and entertainingly shows the decline of two robbers dreadfully out of sync with the changing times. George Roy Hill's easy directorial style blends perfectly with William Goldman's monumentally excellent script; I'd hasten to mention the career-best performances from Newman and Redford, but I don't wanna seem like I'm gushing.

2. SPARTACUS

Everybody's all "Ben-Hur" this and "Ben-Hur" that, or in recent years "Gladiator" this and "Gladiator" that. To these people I say a.) Heston was too dumb to realize he was playing Ben Hur as a gay guy, and b.) Russell Crowe is chubby and has bad hair. Next to these two, the young, strapping, endlessly-white-toothed Kirk Douglas looks like a Roman God (even while playing a Roman slave) as he squares off with Laurence Olivier's vicious Roman Senator. Backed by a supporting cast featuring Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, and the always-gorgeous Jean Simmons (no, not the dude from Kiss. We've seen him without the makeup, and we know he ain't gorgeous), and spurred along by Dalton Trumbo's pitch-perfect script, Kubrick's first epic is an absolute masterpiece.

3. HELP!

Sure, Hard Day's Night is a Brit-invasion masterpiece in its own right, but its baby brother is faster, funnier, and has better songs. Adding to the fun are great comedic performances by the awesome Leo McKern, and the delicious Eleanor Bron, who plays the role of amorous double-agent Ahme like a master class in flirtation.

4. CHARADE

Why nobody thought until 1963 of putting the inimitable appeal of Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn into a movie together is beyond me (why anyone thinks the casting of forthcoming remake, which replaces the originals with Marky Mark and Thandie Newton, is a good idea is beyond me as well). But, once combined, and steered by Stanley Donen's cool and smartly understylized direction and Peter Stone & Marc Behm's all-time great script, the end result is an excellent snapshot of the charm of pre-hippie Hollywood.

5. OUR MAN FLINT

Long before Mike Myers shagged his way into the hearts of millions, there was Derek Flint. A grand, camp send-up of the then-new Bond series, this often-hysterical flick is totally worth watching for the performance given by a pre-craggy James Coburn. Sure, it sags a bit when it stops trying to be a spoof, and tries to go legit, but still, ya gotta love it.

1. REPULSION

Roman Polanski made this brilliant, haunting film BEFORE he went completely insane. It's daring use of cinematic techniques, that would become cliché in decades to come, still holds up, despite the subsequent overuse. When you watch REPULSION and stomach through the mental anguish his characters are burdened with, you understand that while Charles Mason killing his wife and unborn child would be enough to send anyone over the edge, Polanski's trip to Crazyville was, at least, a short one.

2. MONTEREY POP

The Other great music festival of the sixties, MONTEREY POP is easily the better documentary. It has a more Everyman feel to it, more spontaneous, less self-promoting. Besides, cool junkies like Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix are way more interesting then your run-of-the-mill, peace, love and understanding hippies.

3. EASY RIDER

Simply, this film personifies the 60's ideal of wide open America, the road trip, and lots and lots of drugs. Did I need to mention the drugs, considering that we've all seen Dennis Hopper?

4. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?

The pairing of two of the greatest actresses from the "Old Hollywood", in a film with a very "New Hollywood" films. The sixties saw the final dismantling of the Hollywood's old studio systems and introduced new blood and ideas into American film for the first time in decades. For someone like me, who loves the old stuff and the new, it's thrilling to see these two legends intertwine with the future.

5. MARY POPPINS

When Walt Disney hit the seventies and eighties, things started to get very by-the-book and sterile. MARY POPPINS is a great technical achievement and one of the last Disney live action films to not only not suck, but to still fill the audience with childlike wonder. The late, great David Tomlinson is at his best as the typically British banker. Besides, have you ever watched MARY POPPINS on acid? You gotta try it.