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What is a MEDIA LIFE CRISIS?

As I stood on the precipice of my mid-life crisis, I, naturally, thought about movies. How do men in movies address that awful twinge which affects so many of us around this age? That yearning that, somehow, we are neglecting who we are, or that what we do is not what we want to do?

In the movies, they buy slick cars, they screw around on their wives, they stay out all night at the mercy of urban hellscapes, they indulge in (often) criminal adventures...

None of that sounded like fun. I like to stay home.

Naturally, I thought about movies. At the age of 14 I began compiling my own Leonard Maltin-style movie guide. At 18 I studied film in college. At 20 I was attending critics' screenings and film festivals for my college newspaper. At 27 I was reviewing two DVDs a week for a popular website. At 40 I was... I was watching a lot of crap, completely out-of-touch with my pursuit of movies as art.

Medialifecrisis (aka PopGap) is a self-correction. It's a form of disciplining myself to continue seeking out THE GREAT MOVIES. Fill in the gaps. Stop the rot. Treat the best of pop culture like it matters, because it does, even when it stinks.

PopGap isn't only about movies, except when it is. Movies are what I know. For other people, it can be about music, books, art, TV, whatever slice of pop culture excites you, and making sure that it continues to excite you by exploring its high points, its dark corners, its weird diversions, as well as its most popular expressions.



The Top 20 Movies of All-Time

The Best Movie of All-Time: The Godfather Part II (1974)

#1: The Godfather Part II (1974)

Dir: Francis Ford Coppola
The 2nd Best Movie of All-Time: The Godfather (1972)

#2: The Godfather (1972)

Dir: Francis Ford Coppola
The 3rd Best Movie of All-Time: West Side Story (1961)

#3: West Side Story (1961)

Dir: Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise
The 4th Best Movie of All-Time: Manhattan (1979)

#4: Manhattan (1979)

Dir: Woody Allen
The 5th Best Movie of All-Time: The Graduate (1967)

#5: The Graduate (1967)

Dir: Mike Nichols
The 6th Best Movie of All-Time: Tootsie (1982)

#6: Tootsie (1982)

Dir: Sydney Pollack
The 7th Best Movie of All-Time: Apocalypse Now (1979)

#7: Apocalypse Now (1979)

Dir: Francis Ford Coppola
The 8th Best Movie of All-Time: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

#8: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Dir: Irvin Kershner
The 9th Best Movie of All-Time: Star Wars (1977)

#9: Star Wars (1977)

Dir: George Lucas
The 10th Best Movie of All-Time: The Exorcist (1973)

#10: The Exorcist (1973)

Dir: William Friedkin
The 11th Best Movie of All-Time: Taxi Driver (1976)

#11: Taxi Driver (1976)

Dir: Martin Scorsese
The 12th Best Movie of All-Time: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

#12: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Dir: Peter Jackson
The 13th Best Movie of All-Time: Annie Hall (1977)

#13: Annie Hall (1977)

Dir: Woody Allen
The 14th Best Movie of All-Time: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

#14: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Dir: Steven Spielberg
The 15th Best Movie of All-Time: Boogie Nights (1997)

#15: Boogie Nights (1997)

Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson
The 16th Best Movie of All-Time: It's a Wonderful Life (1944)

#16: It's a Wonderful Life (1944)

Dir: Frank Capra
The 17th Best Movie of All-Time: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

#17: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Dir: Tobe Hooper
The 18th Best Movie of All-Time: Singin' in the Rain (1952)

#18: Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Dir: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
The 19th Best Movie of All-Time: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

#19: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Dir: Stanley Kubrick
The 20th Best Movie of All-Time: Zodiac (2007)

#20: Zodiac (2007)

Dir: David Fincher