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The Man Without a Face (1993)

In 2000, when Remember the Titans came out, Denzel Washing was an up and coming lead actor. The height to which he aimed for was akin to that of Mel Gibson in the 1990s, one of Hollywood's most reliable and bankable actors. Today, Denzel is a superstar. Today, Mel is an alcoholic anti-Semite whose career is relegated to foreign language films about Jesus and ancient civilizations. Things were looking sky high for Mel after his directorial debut, The Man Without a Face. His next five starring roles were Maverick (awesome), Braveheart (Oscar winner), Ransom (another great movie), Conspiracy Theory (he's made much worse) and Lethal Weapon 4 (the first Lethal Weapon I saw, because I was still young back then). Mel was red hot! Now, he's a prejudiced drunk. You'd think would have learned more from his role in Man Without a Face.

Mel stars as... you guessed it... a man without a face. Well, sort of. He's a former teacher with half a face. The other half was burned away in a horrible car accident that left him disfigured and one of his students dead. As is to be expected, he becomes an angry, miserable shut-in and is feared by those around him. That is until the day he is befriended by Chuck, played by the very young and talented Nick Stahl. Together they form a close friendship and set off unfair suspicion that their relationship is more than just for the sake of education. Needless to say, this movie is not a comedy. It's a heavy and heartfelt drama that showcases the early directorial talent of the man that would go on to win Best Director for Braveheart. It's the type of film and career move that helped launch Mel into the stratosphere, and is a move he'll need to make again soon in order to reclaim his place on the A-list. Seriously though, Mel is a great actor. The Jew-hater played a man fighting prejudice and was darned believable in his role. If that isn't worthy of an Oscar than I don't know what is.

Some Like It Hot (1959)

Halloween is quickly approaching and I am in need of costume ideas. I want to be a vampire again, like I was last year in honor of the amazing first season of True Blood. Now that Twilight has made vampires all the rage, I have to think of something different. Since I am a gay man, friends of mine find it hilarious to suggest that I dress up as a woman. It doesn't matter how many girls I make out with, that I'm doing my best to get into baseball, that I dress more like a homeless personal trainer than a trendy model, or that most people actually have no idea I'm gay until I tell them; if you dress up as Daisy Duke for even one Halloween, it will follow you for life! In my defense, it was my ex boyfriend's idea. In my friends' defense, I look damn good in a mini skirt and blonde wig. Take my advice: don't cross dress for the sake of your partner. It's only something you should do if you want. Otherwise, it will haunt you.

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