Anyone who’s been over to my house knows that if anything, I’m definitely a bonafide movie geek…but since you probably haven’t, you’re just going to have to take my word for it! As most would expect, both my film interest and the bulk of my DVD collection itself are based around humor and comedy flicks because, hey, I’d much rather watch somebody get hit in the face with a paint can than fight through two hours of romantic turmoil any day! Of course, I do have my prize copy of Magnolia on the shelf as well and it makes me cry every single time, but that’s a different story that we’re certainly not going to be getting into anytime soon…

Nonetheless, it seems like I spend so much time critiquing television and pop culture in general that I tend to forget about the true inspiration behind a good chunk of my humor…so today we’re going to mix it up a bit! I couldn’t even imagine where to begin listing my all-time favorite comedies, as it seems that supplements always keep pouring in after the final draft, so instead I’ve opted to simply share with you some of my favorite moments up there on the silver screen. They’re not ranked from ten-to-one (especially because there are only nine of them), but what we do have here is a gathering of almost ten hilarious moments in film history – each and every one of these has a home in my collection, and I’d probably call you crazy if you couldn’t do the same! So that having been said, it’s time to either make that trip over to your movie shelf or the video store, grab a bucket of balcony-grade popcorn, and get ready for some classic laughs…

Batman: The Movie – the scene where Batman is running around the docks, bomb in hand…

“Some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb!”

True dat, Batman! I’ve often caught a lot of grief for it, similar to the same grief that I catch when admitting that I actually enjoyed Gilligan’s Island, but I’ve always preferred the 1960s television Batman to any recent interpretation that Hollywood has managed to conjure up. Purple tights aside, Adam West may not have been a ripped superhero by any means, but he’s been the only Batman to actually express a sense of humor and you’ve gotta give the guy credit for that! If you can honestly hear the line, “Fetch me the Bat Anti-Shark Repellant Spray, Robin – hurry!” and still cast your vote for Keaton or Clooney, there’s just no hope for you…

The Big Lebowski – the scene where The Dude explains to his bowling buddies about his now-ruined rug

Some consider this flick more of a cult classic, and I honestly don’t even remember it ever being in a theater near me, but there’s just something to be said about the easy-going, laid-back nature of The Dude that really serves as an inspiration to the lazy men and women of this world…I know it was a turning point for me! Sure, it was a cheap, dirty rug, but it really brought the room together

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie – the scene where Cal begins to assemble his new interocitor

“…use only genuine interocitor parts…”

Truly the kings of cinematic mockery, I can recall many an evening spent by me and my friends creating our own sarcastic commentaries on whatever happened to be in the VCR at the time, so needless to say it was like Christmas morning when we first discovered the wild antics of Crow and Tom Servo as they did their very best to pick apart even the most timid of educational films! Although it’d be a tough job to single out their greatest accomplishments out of some ten seasons worth of zaniness, I certainly would not disagree that this film ranks right up there with the best of them.

Disney’s Brother Bear – the scene where Tuke disowns Rutt and decides that Bear will be his new brother

I didn’t get around to seeing this in the theater, but after watching the DVD I sure wish that I had! The sporadic quips from Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas brought the movie to an entirely new level…and then I watched the DVD Audio Commentary hosted by the McKenzie brothers themselves! It just doesn’t get much better than that, eh?

“I can’t believe you totaled a mammoth!”

“Oh, come on – that mountain came out of nowhere…”

Ghostbusters – the final scene when the Ghostbusters are battling Gozer

I feel comfortable revealing this simply because I don’t know of any pictures out there to back it up, but for approximately two years of my childhood, the Ghostbusters were my life! I had all of the toys, I ate the cereal every morning even though it cut the roof of your mouth, and my cousin and I even dressed up as two of the guys for Halloween one year. Although most of the kids loved Slimer because he was fun and loveable in the cartoon, I always took a liking to Stay Puft…

“…it’s the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man…”

“I tried to think of the most harmless thing – something I loved from my childhood, something that could never, ever possibly destroy us – Mr. Stay Puft…”

“Nice thinking, Ray!”

Office Space – the scene where Peter has his first interview with The Bobs

The epitome of movies guaranteed to make anybody feel at least a little better about their job…or even their life in general, this is the one movie that I cannot possibly understand how it didn’t go over well at the box office when it was released back in 1999. I can’t put into words just how hilarious this movie is, but I am proud to say that two of my all-time favorite quotes are found within this movie, and in fact, this very scene!

“I’d say in a given week I probably only do about 15 minutes of real, actual work…”

…and of course…

“The thing is, Bob – it’s not that I’m lazy, it’s that I just don’t care!”

Robin Hood: Men in Tights – the scene where Robin gets arrested at the archery contest

I probably could’ve made this list entirely Mel Brooks films, but that just wouldn’t be fair, now would it? This was actually the first of his movies that I had ever seen, and possibly one of the first spoofs I was exposed to outside of the Naked Gun series, so in a way you might say that this one could be held responsible for getting me hooked on the genre – way to go, Mel!

My three favorite lines from the film, none of which will be very entertaining to anyone who hasn’t seen the movie, in no particular order:

· “Come on, guys – let’s go get out of these women’s clothes and back into our tights!”

· ”I hope that it’s worth the noise!!!

· “Did you say, ‘Abe Lincoln’?”

Uncle Buck – the scene where Buck is presenting Miles’ birthday breakfast

John Candy’s comedic brilliance accompanied by the innocent offerings of Macaulay Culkin and Gaby Hoffmann made this entire film shine, but one particular scene really stood out for me and more or less classifies why I love this flick so much. It’s only maybe forty-five seconds long and it really only contains one actual line, but that line (coupled with the visual of a stack of pancakes the size of a large coffee table, of course!) sold me the first time I heard it and I probably quote it more than any other movie line I know…much to the confusion of those within earshot…

“You should see the toast – I couldn’t even get it through the door!”

Space Balls – the merchandising scene, starring Director Mel Brooks as Yogurt

Mel Brooks sets the stage for a very brief, yet memorable (and true-to-life) part of the movie – the merchandising!!! Looking back on this one and my trend of buying into the entertainment industry’s every plausible movement back in the day, I probably would’ve actually bought Spaceballs: The Breakfast Cereal…but really, who wouldn’t?!