It's that time of the year again, when the TV networks begin bombarding viewers with Public Service Announcements warning of the perils of overindulging on New Year's Eve. While those messages certainly serve a valuable purpose, we here at ReelzChannel.com feel that a far more effective message can be found in the world of movies. If this New Year's Eve finds you feeling tempted to embark on an epic bender, here are a few flicks that might convince you to reconsider.
10. Arthur
In this Oscar-winning 1981 comedy, a perpetually soused Dudley Moore gives up a massive inheritance in order to marry....Liza Minelli? Even in 1981 it didn't make sense. To this day, Arthur remains one of the most vivid, harrowing examples of "beer goggles" ever captured on celluloid.
9. Scarface
Aspiring drug kingpins would do well to learn from the tragic tale of the rise and fall of one Tony Montana. First you get the money, then you get the power, then you get the women. Just stay away from the Yayo, or else you'll start wearing powder blue suits and saying things like, "All I got in this world is my word and my balls, and I don't break 'em for nobody."
8. 28 Days
After ruining her sister's wedding in a booze-fueled rampage, Sandra Bullock is ordered to enter a rehabilitation center to curb her alcohol abuse. Never mind 28 days in rehab -- watch 28 minutes of this dreadful flick and you'll be ready to quit cold turkey immediately.
7. Affliction
James Coburn won an Academy Award in 1999 for his performance as Nick Nolte's abusive, alcoholic father in Paul Schrader's haunting murder mystery. Years later Nolte himself would provide an even more disturbing glimpse of the ill-effects of substance abuse with his 2002 arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence, which yielded the awesomest celebrity mugshot ever.
6. The Star Wars Holiday Special
Legend has it George Lucas was so ashamed of this campy Star Wars-themed TV special that he tried to have all known copies of it destroyed after it aired in 1977. Fortunately, bootlegged versions can still be found at some independent video stores. Those lucky enough to snag a copy will be treated to a rare glimpse of a visibly intoxicated Carrie Fisher stumbling around the set and singing off-key. I still say it's better than The Phantom Menace.
5. Trainspotting
Thinking of dancing with Mr. Brownstone? According to the heroin addicts in Danny Boyle's 1996 flick, here are a few of the things you have to look forward to: vomiting, tremors, diarrhea, dead babies, hallucinations of said dead babies crawling on the ceiling, and AIDS. Perhaps worst of all, you'll begin speaking English with an utterly impenetrable accent and give all of your buddies stupid nicknames like "Spud" and "Begbie."
4. Pulp Fiction
In the climactic scene from Quentin Tarantino's groundbreaking sophomore effort, Uma Thurman helps herself to a portion of John Travolta's prized stash, which promptly causes blood to flow from her nose and foam from her mouth, followed by cardiac arrest. A shot of adrenaline admistered directly to the heart revives a lifeless Thurman -- much in the same way that Pulp Fiction revived Travolta's dead career.
3. Less than Zero
Though its run at the box office proved short-lived, this 1987 Brat Pack tale of overly privileged L.A. youths living dangerously had a lasting effect on our culture, giving birth to what is now known as the "Less Than Zero Lifestyle." As exemplified by Robert Downey Jr.'s character, the lifestyle involves, among other things, copious amounts of cocaine and casual sex. If Hollywood decides to remake it, we suggest titling it The Lindsay Lohan Story.
2. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Terry Gilliam's trippy adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's acclaimed novel is notable for exposing the unpredictable, potentially devastating consequences of combining different psychoactive substances. While you may be adept at handling your liquor, throw marijuana, mescaline, cocaine, ether, amphetamines and LSD into the mix and you just might wake up with a microphone taped to your face and a lizard tail strapped to your waist.
1. Requiem for a Dream
Darren Aronofsky's grim account of the consequences of substance abuse features a veritable grab bag of addictions, experienced through the eyes of its four main characters. The scariest of the four -- Ellen Burstyn's elderly, speed-addled shut-in -- emphatically drives home Requiem for a Dream's most powerful message: Old people are creepy.
Disagree? Let me know at tleupp@reelzchannel.com.
Click here to see more of ReelzChannel.com's lists, interviews and reviews!