The box office has failed me once again. I can't say that I thought it was going to be kind this summer, but I was hoping that something might stick out and make me smile. I hoped for a second, when Halle Berry promised everyone at the MTV Movie Awards that in Swordfish (a movie that came out this weekend) she would bare her buxom bosom, that maybe the summer season wouldn't be so bad. And then I couldn't find any review that was kind to the flick--and none of them mentioned that the sight of Halle Berry's breasts was worth the price of admission. So, for lack of good new movies, I have to retreat to the DVD and aging VCR for cinema satisfaction.

There is no best movie in the world for everyone. Watching and enjoying movies, while usually done with other people around, really is a personal experience. So my brief overview will try to put things into categorical perspective for easier picking and choosing.

I have to start off with my favorite genre of movies, because they're so addicting and exhausting: the drug movie. Usually these flicks are small and don't make a ton of money. And they are disturbing because many of them try to depict visually what it might be like on a variety of drugs. In other words, they're niche flicks. Use caution and only watch one at a time.

The Big Lebowski, the journey of a pothead through parts of L.A. during the Gulf War, is almost perfect. It doesn't make a ton of sense, it's filled with characters you wouldn't want to meet in real life, and the lead character (The Dude, played by Jeff Bridges) is stoned through the entire movie. That is not to say it is the end-all for drug movies, though. Friday (made Chris Tucker a star), Up In Smoke (classic Cheech & Chong) and Half Baked add more layers on the pot movie genre. Hurly Burly, the charming tale of Hollywood producers coked to the gills and spouting nonsensical philosophy, is grueling fun. Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas, based on Hunter S. Thompson's infamous book and starring Johnny Depp, king of dope movies, throws in every conceivable type of drug (and even a few made up ones) into a suitcase and takes it on the road.

Guy movies. Flicks about the troubles and trials of being male (and trying to hook up with that certain female) is another sub-section of film I appreciate quite a bit. Fight Club is a stunning piece of work, splitting the two sides of a guy and throwing in a bit about fascism, sex and denial as well. One of the best films of the 90s, if not all time. A little bit lighter than Fight Club would be Swingers (not actually about swing dancing for the most part), Tao of Steve (how to get laid when you're a large, sometimes loathsome, man beast) and Singles--which is kind of an ensemble piece but Matt Dillon does a great job nailing the "Rock Dude" character.

High school movies. We all went, so we've all got our favorites. Heathers, a movie that could not get made today, is an almost perfect satire of high school life. Pump Up The Volume throws in a truly rebellious (and punk) edge to the genre. Fast Times At Ridgemont High is full of hilarious bits and a touch of pathos. And even American Pie, which drew from the many of the high school flicks before it, made me laugh out loud many times when I first saw it. Rock N Roll High School(long live the Ramones!), Clueless and, for a little mindless T & A, Valley Girl.

But what about Oscar, you say. What about His picks for best movie? Well, the Oscars are all about politics. Not real politics, but Hollywood politics. Why else would three movies SHARE twelve golden boys equally? They made so sure that Traffic, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Gladiator were praised equally, they forgot to actually pick a best movie. All of these are available to rent or buy, by the way. I'd go with the first two.

And right about now, I realize how futile making a complete list of good flicks to watch in less than 1500 words actually is. So I'll have to be quick and skip a few things.

Woody Allen. Say what you will, this guy is damn funny. Annie Hall, Deconstructing Harry and the amazing Crimes and Misdemeanors are my top three.

Animated films? Fuck Disney. South Park is, hands down, the best cartoon film in history. Of course, Heavy Metal had all those titties...

War? Platoon is masterful, haunting and druggy druggy druggy druggy. Saving Private Ryan (still gets me), Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket. I did grow up in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, y'know.

Tarantino? Well, he wrote True Romance (another guy movie, but then all his movies are) and it totaled me when it came out. Pulp Fiction (started a trend that hasn't really stopped), Natural Born Killers (Oliver Stone took a formula flick and made it a, yep, druggy masterpiece) and the stripped down, lean and mean Reservoir Dogs.

Comedy? This genre is way too huge, but those late 70s chaos comedies shot in the middle of six month parties prove that, sometimes, you don't have to be so damn formulaic about making people laugh--Animal House and Caddyshack.

And I could go on. The only point I really wanted to make was that the movies that have come out this year have been really disappointing. And I wonder if the people making them really care about entertaining or if this is just a job they slug through to give themselves a sense of "artistic purpose." Boycott bad movies, reward yourself with something good. A movie that makes you feel good about being alive.

Matt Worley is a full-fledged movie junkie.