Who's the Master, Leroy?

Turns out, it wasn't Sho'nuff, after all. It was Leroy Green.

I say this, because that movie is 20 years old. That's right. Twenty. Years. Old. Berry Gordy's masterpiece, Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon, came out in 1985. I know I have more important things to think about at the dawn of 2005, but perusing this morning's headlines and retrospectives has led me to one conclusion: years are ultimately defined by their movies.

Slate proudly announces "The 13 best Movies of 2004" as their top headline. Because, I presume, that's what the people want.

Disinformation, that bastion of subversive culture, leads off with a profile of experimental theatre, followed by a link to the aforementioned Slate article.

Is this what we've been reduced to? It appears to be a reaction to unhappiness in the world we live in. And so, in the face of mounting discontent in the real world, liberals/subversives/assorted undesirables must escape to the safe haven of fantasy. It happened in the 60s; it happened in the 80s; it's happening now. Music, comedy, satire - these things are getting better, just as other things seem to be getting worse.

If there's a prediction that can be made for 2005, it's most likely going to be a continual increase in artistic output. Rage/anger/energy converted into creative endeavors. It's almost an exponential mathematical equation between social unrest and artistic expression. In crude terms, from shit comes Art.

Anyway, I think we need look no further than 1985 to give us a pretty good indicator of what 2005 holds in store for us. Just take a look at the top grossing movies and you'll get a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about. Hell, look at ALL the movies from 1985.

1985. The year that gave us The Breakfast Club, Real Genius, Fletch, and We Are the World.

1985. The year when Marty McFly almost made out with his mom.

1985. The year when a rag-tag band of kids uncovered the treasure of One-Eyed Willy, stopped the bad guys, and saved their town.

1985. The year when John Rambo became our "worst nightmare" and Rocky Balboa avenges Apollo's death - while simultaneously defending America's freedoms - by taking on Ivan Drago. I don't need to tell you that his speech at the end ("...if I can change, and you can change, everybody can change!") single-handedly ended the Cold War.

1985. The year when Harrison Ford witnessed Kelly McGillis naked.

It's the 80s all over again and we've gotta get...Back to the Future! Take a good look at what 1985 gave us, and then think about what you can do to take back 2005. And then I'll ask you again. Who is the Master, Leroy?