Flashback 2006: My top 10 favorite movies from 10 years ago

It's a new year -- so why not take a look back?

I'm doing my annual top 10 best lists for decades past again and now that's we're officially in the year 2016, first up is the year 2006, exactly ten years ago.

Looking back on that year I can safely say it was a very strong year for mainstream entertainment.

Even that year's Best Picture winner, Martin Scorsese's The Departed, was a big fat gangster thriller, that made (forgive the pun) a killing at the box office. It was deserving, however, despite some detractors, but more on that in a second.

It was a solid year all around, especially for comedy -- Sacha Baron Cohen owned 2006 -- and it also heralded comebacks for James Bond and director Spike Lee. Anyway, without further ado, here's my top 10 picks:

10) The Hoax - I've maintained for a long time that Richard Gere is one of the most underrated actors of his generation, and this criminally overlooked movie helps make the case. It tells this incredible true story of a struggling writer who manufactured phony interviews with the reclusive Howard Hughes in the '70s. Gere is riveting in the lead role, showing cracks in his usual charming facade as a desperate man spinning his wheels. It's a fun movie that deserves rediscovery.

9) The Fist Foot Way - Danny McBride is definitely a divisive comic figure. I adore him, but some folks find his brand of crude obnoxiousness too relentless to be amusing. So this film is not for everyone. But I loved its oddball energy and pseudo-documentary vibe. Will Ferrell helped get McBride noticed by distributing this low budget film about an egotistical (and deeply insecure) Taekwondo instructor, which is uproarious and occasionally quite dark. A star-making vehicle to be sure.

8) Children of Men - I haven't revisited it in a while, but Alfonso Cuaron's visually dynamic sci-fi epic, about a future where babies have stopped being born, was one of those movies that should have been a blockbuster but somehow didn't connect. Even though everyone I know who saw it raved about it. Clive Owen stars (remember him?) as our hero but the real breakthrough here is the camerawork which foretold the groundbreaking work Cuaron would do with Gravity about eight years later.

7) Rocky Balboa - People who are marveling at the resurrection of Sylvester Stallone's career and his powerful performance in this year's Creed, should not discount his work here in the last fully-fledged Rocky movie. This film was a labor of love for Stallone who had drifted into direct-to-DVD obscurity. The movie was dismissed before it hit theaters due to Stallone's age and the 16-year gap since the last installment, but he proved the haters wrong with a gritty return to form and a moving finale which reminded us all why we cared about this character in the first place.

Denzel Washington in Inside Man

6) Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - Will Ferrell and director Adam McKay are totally in their element here lampooning the absurdity and ignorance of American sporting culture and "we're number one" chest-thumping. A smart movie about painfully stupid people. Ferrell is the highlight here but he gets fantastic support from John C. Reilly as his dimwitted sidekick (why haven't these two reunited) and Sacha Baron Cohen as an effete French driver. So many quotable lines in this one.

5) Borat - Sacha Baron Cohen's other big hit of the year was like a comic grenade tossed on audiences. For those hip to his style of improvisational shock comedy, this was a welcome expansion of the universe Cohen created on his series The Ali G Show, but for many Americans this was their first glimpse of a surreal comic genius. I have sometimes wondered if too few viewers understood who the joke was on (it was us, not the blissfully ignorant Borat) but the film still holds up and Cohen was robbed of a richly deserved Oscar nomination for a wildly unpredictable lead performance.

4) Dave Chappelle's Block Party - When this rousing documentary came out (it debuted in '05 but didn't come to U.S. theaters until March '06) I don't think many people realized that it was the beginning of the end of Chappelle's iconic Comedy Central show. Still, Michel Gondry's electrifying (and emotional) concert film would be a perfect time capsule of this era of hip-hop and the good vibes Chappelle was generating, particularly in communities of color. There are some great comic riffs here, but the music elevates it to a whole other level. The show stopper is Lauryn Hill's reunion with The Fugees, which feels genuinely historic.

3) Inside Man - I fear that director Spike Lee may never again make a movie as fun and entertaining as this, his first foray into more mainstream filmmaking. Equipped with a big budget and A-list stars (Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, and yes, Clive Owen again), Lee made an exciting and very cleverly plotted heist movie without totally eschewing his trademark style and substance. This movie also has an authentic New York flavor that felt very real but also was a throwback to Big Apple-based thrillers of the '70s like Dog Day Afternoon and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.

2) The Departed - Although some have derided this Boston-based potboiler as lesser Scorsese, I strongly disagree. Both Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon do stellar work here as essentially opposite sides of the same coin, one informing on the cops, the other, the crooks. The theme of rats and double crossing is beautifully explored in this fast and very funny movie. Scorsese gets terrific supporting turns out of Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, Jack Nicholson and especially Mark Wahlberg, all while boasting one of his best soundtracks to date. And for the record, I loved that last shot.

1) Casino Royale - We all take Daniel Craig for granted now, but he basically brought the James Bond character and series back from the dead with a totally fresh and intense take on the character that helped endure the character to legions of new fans, and critics, too. The action was both believable and epic, the story was a return to the more earthbound narratives of the early Connery Bonds, and Craig became the perfect Bond for his times, more brooding and psychologically complex. Along with Skyfall, this is one of the best 007 films ever made.

'The Force Awakens' is even better the second time around

Harrison Ford in The Force Awakens

I knew even while I was watching The Force Awakens for the first time that I would need to see it again, at least once, in theaters. I think most Star Wars fans feel the same.

This is a once in a lifetime moviegoing experience -- and we'll have to wait at least another two years for the next direct installment (although Rogue One should be intriguing) so we have to savor this epic while we can.

The second time I saw it on IMAX, which I highly recommend. The visual perfection of this film is unparalleled.

I appreciated it even more after watching the trailers for upcoming films like Warcraft and even the new Batman vs. Superman, which all look overwhelmed by far too much dicey CGI.

The Force Awakens is about to become the highest grossing film of all time. Even when inflation is taken into account it will be one of the biggest ticket sellers ever, which is a miraculous thing in an age when movie attendance is being seriously threatened by streaming sources of entertainment.

Even if you couldn't care less about Star Wars -- I'm always encountering these vehement haters -- you should at least be pleased that people are going to the movies again. Because this rising tide will lift other ships.

Here are some takeaways from the film, now that the rush of an initial viewing has come and gone:

John Boyega is what makes this movie work: Daisy Ridley is getting much of the praise for her breakout role as Rey, and that's understandable -- it's a showy, star-making role. But it's Boyega who brilliantly sets the film's more humorous and exuberant tone with his fantastic performance as Finn.

He is a character unlike any in the previous Star Wars adventures -- both earnest and opportunistic at the same time. I've so excited to see how future films develop him further.

Harrison Ford deserves Oscar consideration: If The Force Awakens hadn't screened so late for critics and missed out on early awards (a necessary evil to preserve the surprises on the plot) I honestly believe that Ford would warrant serious Best Supporting Actor consideration for his flawless return as Han Solo.

Unfortunately, this year the supporting race is stacked and Ford's turn in a more unconventional movie will likely not make the cut. But his charming presence here ranks among his best work.

Adam Driver gives the most underrated performance: I've heard some snickers when Kylo Ren reveals his mask and turns out to be fresh faced Adam Driver, but he's actually really terrific in this movie, and in some ways he has the hardest role. Replacing Darth Vader as the principle baddie is no small feat, and he really uses his physicality to create a fully realized character without the benefit of showing his eyes or mouth for most of the film.

Snoke is growing on me: The first time I saw this movie I was a little underwhelmed by Snoke, who is essentially the new Emperor. I felt his artificial presence stood out, and not in a good way, in a film largely buttressed by practical effects. But I have come to appreciate Andy Serkis' ominous performance and I am hoping to see more of this character in future films, not as a massive projection but as a more flesh and blood freak. Like the Emperor, he seems motivated by a desire to destroy Luke Skywalker, which is a testament to the power his character still must possess.

It is NOT a remake of the original film: The complaint I keep hearing about this film -- and there are few, because most people really like it -- is that it's a carbon copy of 1977's A New Hope, even George Lucas has knocked it for being "retro." But that's just absurd. There are several elements in this film that are totally fresh to the saga and what nods there are to previous films feel more like clever homages than straight plagiarism. In some ways this film combines elements from Episode IV and V, while spinning off into new directions of its own. After six films (and the original trilogy in particular) being so watched and re-watched, it's hard for a lot of this not to feel familiar at this point. And for fans, it's better to have a way in than being hit with a lifeless hand in the face (a.k.a. the prequels).

This is a truly exciting and joyful movie. I found myself smiling and cheering throughout it, but it had depth too and real emotional grounding. You can't ask for much more from mainstream entertainment.

Better late than never, 'Bridge of Spies' is fantastic

For some reason, when I first saw trailers for Bridge of Spies I felt a little underwhelmed. Although I'm a big history buff -- and love the Cold War era in particular -- it looked like homework. Something I should see, not something I wanted to see.

So I put it off, figured I'd wait to see it on Netflix or something. But then after revisiting Raiders of the Lost Ark and being reminded of what a master filmmaker Steven Spielberg is, I decided to check it out.

Spielberg doesn't make movies as often as he used to and it seems, for the most part, that in his old age he's comfortable making more adult movies that aren't seeking box office supremacy.

That said, Bridge of Spies is an immensely entertaining mainstream historical drama, that despite wearing its liberal intentions on it's sleeve a bit too much, is a lot of fun.

I have no idea how close Spielberg's narrative is to the actual events it's portraying -- the film tells the fascinating story of the noble defense of a captured spy for the Russians, which led to an improbable prisoner exchange with the Soviet Union -- but it's a testament to the movie that I wanted to read more about the story once it was through.

Tom Hanks is invaluable here as the hero. He brings his trademark humor and gravitas to the role of a man who is pretty saintly but never less than riveting. Right now only Denzel Washington and George Clooney have that kind of credibility with audiences, and neither of them could have played this role quite as well. You trust in Hanks, and he is a terrific vessel for navigating this intriguing but complex story.

Tom Hanks in Bridge of Spies

He is supported by the little-known Mark Rylance in an Oscar-baity role as the spy. His dialogue -- the screenplay was co-written by the Coen brothers -- has a lot of biting wit to it, and is disarming. But the performances are really terrific across the board here, as is the cinematography, which is a given in virtually every Spielberg movie at this point.

Not unlike with Lincoln, Spielberg is interested in showcasing American idealism at its finest, and that makes this film, like that one, feel inherently old fashioned, but I didn't mind that. In fact, I slightly preferred it to the inherent cynicism of The Big Short.

I have no idea what kind of shelf life Bridge of Spies will have. It did decent business but was no blockbuster, and other than Rylance, it doesn't appear to be a lock for any big Oscar nominations. But I do think it ranks among some of the stronger efforts of Spielberg's late career, and suggests he still has a valuable voice to contribute to cinema.

If 'Indy 5' is indeed happening: 5 ways to make it good

Today I had the pleasure of watching the best (and what will probably always be the best) Indiana Jones movie ever made -- 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark -- on the big screen.

The movie still works wonders and is a master class in visual filmmaking (director Steven Soderbergh once refashioned it as a black and white silent movie to demonstrate how well-constructed its narrative is).

Harrison Ford created a hero for the ages, so much so that I have virtually no interest in seeing anyone else play him, even though he is in his 70s now.

Steven Spielberg has expressed interest in returning to the series, which is promising news. And Disney, who now owns the rights to the franchise, seem bullish as well. Why wouldn't they be? Even with all its haters, the last Indiana Jones film was actually the biggest hit of the series to date.

Still, this project, if it really does get off the ground, will be met with a reasonable amount of skepticism and it's easy to see why. The series finds itself in very much the same predicament the Star Wars films did prior to The Force Awakens.

The last film -- 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull -- despite all its financial success, left a lot of fans unhappy and the feeling that persists now is that if you're going to do another one of these, it's going to have to redeem the series, to a certain extent.

Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark

This has happened before.

Rocky Balboa and Creed more than made up for the crappy Rocky V. And we're all still basking in the glory of The Force Awakens, which managed to both wipe the slate clean of the stinky George Lucas prequels and generate excitement for new characters in follow-up chapters.

If Disney is as shrewd as I think they are, they will adopt a similar formula with Indy 5 -- keep Harrison Ford front and center but also let him gracefully bring his tenure to the character to a close.

There was some expectation that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull would do that. For better or worse they established Shia LaBeouf as Indy's greaser son Muff, and seemed to imply that he might be at the center of future films. But the character wasn't strong enough, LaBeouf trashed the movie -- and then went on one of the more extended career flameouts of recent Hollywood history -- and well, let's just say no one was interested in returning to that territory.

I was pleased to see that Spielberg wasn't interested in replacing Ford with someone younger. I get the appeal of Chris Pratt and Bradley Cooper, but they are no Harrison Ford. He is this character. Just like he is Han Solo. And The Force Awakens proved Ford still has plenty in the tank as an actor and as an action hero. He doesn't look silly in these films as older actors often do -- and I think if he had a script on the same par as The Force Awakens, he could do wonders, maybe even score a long deserved Oscar if they give this Indy adventure some gravitas, as they did in Raiders and later in Last Crusade.

Here is what I think they need to do:

1) Make sure George Lucas is not involved - I know it's popular to pile on George Lucas, and the thing is, I don't hate the guy. But, it's clear he has hit a creative wall. Most of the worst elements of Crystal Skull's plot and conception appear to be traceable back to him, and if his sour grapes reaction to The Force Awakens is any indication, he is stubbornly opposed to changing his ways or embracing a more exuberant style of filmmaking. The less he has to do with this installment the better.

2) Acknowledge Indy's age in a compelling way - The first misgiving anyone is going to have with this project is Ford's age. Even if it's rushed into production he will likely be 73 or 74 by the time it gets made. He is fit and looks phenomenal but it would be ludicrous not to make his age an aspect of the story and I don't mean in a corny "let's make jokes about how he's an old man" sort of way. His being older makes him more vulnerable, perhaps more reluctant to take the chances he once did. This would be an interesting new element of the Indiana Jones character to explore.

You call him Dr. Jones

3) Return to their roots - I, for one, had no problem with Spielberg and Lucas' decision to make Indy 4 more of a sci-fi B-movie as an homage to the 1950s. But the movie veered so wildly into supernatural CGI territory that it started to feel less and less like an Indy film as it progressed. Watching Raiders reminded me of how straightforward the storytelling was in the original trilogy and how much more they relied on practical effects and stunts. I know there are limitations, especially when your star is a senior citizen, but I think this is a series that is built on nostalgia for the past so they shouldn't shy away from it.

4) Give Indy something worthwhile to chase - The best Indiana Jones films have him pursuing an object of enormous consequence -- think the Holy Grail -- and we need that kind of epic so-called MacGuffin to feel more invested in story. Hopefully producers will dig deep and come up with something worth getting excited about. In fact, I wouldn't be opposed if Jones were lured out of retirement because say, the Arc of the Covenant has gone missing, and he is the only man capable or locating it. The first film and the most recent film suggested it was languishing in government storage,  but what if it was stolen and wound up in the wrong hands?

5) Let this be the final chapter - I don't think you necessarily need to kill off the character, but I think it would lend the new movie more significance if there was a clear sense that this would be his last adventure, at least in this iteration. It would again raise the stakes and make the action feel less inevitable and predictable. It would give Spielberg and company license to try something different, and God forbid, edgy. Without the pressure of setting up further sequels, the filmmakers can focus on what's most important -- making a strong, self-contained story which stands on its own.

'The Big Short' is the feel-bad feel-good movie of the year

The Big Short reminds me of a great character actor playing against type, and I mean that as a compliment.

Director Adam McKay, whose film this unabashedly is, has made a name for himself by making smart comedies about dumb people.

Now, for the first time, he's making a film where the characters are as clever as he is and it's an entertaining change of pace.

The movie does have one big, glaring flaw however, it's basically asking you to root for a bunch of already wealthy white guys who got richer by predicting the pain of far more disadvantaged people -- but I'll get to that in a minute.

McKay takes great pains to make an accessible movie about the financial meltdown of 2007-2008, and for the most part he succeeds. He's aided by a terrific cast with the best turns coming from a moving Steve Carrell, as an honest and righteous hedge fund manager, and a surprisingly funny Ryan Gosling who shows great comic timing as a Wall Street shark with some scruples. Christian Bale's performance was a little too mannered for me at first, but he grew on me as the movie progressed.

They all play men who saw the housing bubble early and bet against the big banks. It's a remarkable story, told with lots of energy and justified rage by McKay. In the film's most ingenious gimmick, he periodically breaks the fourth wall, either with the Gosling character, or a prominent celebrity making a cameo to break down and explain what exactly all these financial wizards are talking about.

As clever as these bits are, I must admit I still had trouble wrapping my puny brain around some of the ins and outs of the financial schemes at play in this movie. But I was never bored, nor was I so overwhelmed by the narrative that I couldn't enjoy myself.

The problem with The Big Short though is that for all its valiant effort to find heroes worth cheering for, it's an undeniably bleak picture -- as its closing titles confirm, another collapse could very well be coming, and most of the people seeing this film won't be reaping any windfalls.

Steve Carrell in The Big Short

The movie does point out the moral incongruity of betting on people's inability to pay their mortgages, most effectively in a well-played scene featuring Brad Pitt as a former Wall Street big shot who voluntarily backed out of the game.

But the film does feel a little lacking in this regard. It's not as immoral as the predatory lenders it portrays but I do think it's guiltier than a movie that is sometimes vilified -- The Wolf of Wall Street -- of showing the allure of playing the markets, rather than showing its collateral damage.

Still, this is an important film, if not my favorite film I've seen this year. I appreciated the presence of Adepero Oduye, but this is a such a white male-dominated film (Marisa Tomei is largely wasted as Carrell's wife) that it left something of a bad taste in my mouth.

And yet I admire the hell out of a relatively mainstream crowd-pleasing comedy-drama that takes dead aim at our country's most powerful financial institutions and has the audacity to name names. I think McKay wants us to leave the theater a little angry, a little indignant and, by that measure, his film is a rousing, likely hit.

'The Revenant' and my tentative top 10 2015 movies

Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant

The Revenant is an intense, spare and unflinching vision.

Shot in natural light with several of director Alejandro Inarritu's now signature single takes, the movie has a brutal power and a bravura, physical performance from Leonardo DiCaprio, which may finally earn him a well-deserved Best Actor Oscar.

I'm curious what it's commercial prospects will be. It is grisly and had minimal dialogue, but as of right now, I'd rank it among the best films I've seen this year.

Before I get into my top 10 of the year, I will have to dispense with some pretty obvious caveats. I still have not seen a number of films that very well could or should make my top ten -- including The Big Short, Bridge of Spies and Sicario. So, this is very much a first draft or a first impression as of this moment, as the year comes to a close.

I would say all-in-all this has been a strong year for movies, better than last year, so I have a lot of honorable mentions that I want to give some love to.

This was a banner year from mainstream blockbuster fare. Sure, there was the giant disappointment of Jurassic World, but for the most part, the big budget extravaganzas delivered this year. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation proved there's still plenty of life left in Tom Cruise's spy series. Ant-Man was a welcome return to the more light-hearted tone of the original Iron Man film. And Spy was the rare big action comedy that was satisfying from start to finish.

Horror made a bit of comeback to -- Goodnight, Mommy for example. There was a terrific reboot of the biopic with Steve Jobs. And yes, while Spectre was no Skyfall, it was still a worthy Bond film that ranks among the series better entries.

A few movies just barely missed the cut of my top 10. Grandma, which had one of my favorite performances of the year from Lily Tomlin, Black Mass, which provided Johnny Depp with a great comeback role, and Inside Out, which was yet another conceptually brilliant Pixar movie.

The Hateful Eight is still a film I'm torn about. I just don't know if I'm on board with it, so for right now it's not in my top 10. Here is what is:

10) Listen to Me Marlon - An incredible documentary that will be appreciated by anyone who is a fan of Marlon Brando's but also anyone intrigued by the craft of acting. The film uses never-before-heard private recordings made by the On the Waterfront star to create a compelling portrait of a flawed but unbelievably charismatic man. It didn't get the audience it deserved, but hopefully will be discovered by younger generations, who will learn to appreciate the best actor of his time.

9) Where to Invade Next - Director Michael Moore makes a major comeback with this surprisingly optimistic take on the positive gifts the rest of the world has to offer the U.S. This film is both a stirring indictment of how America has lost its way and a call to arms to its citizenry to correct their course. Moore has made many of the points he's made here before, but this film has a lot more poignancy and laughs than some of his more recent work.

8) The Revenant - It's relentlessly bleak and grimy -- but this revenge thriller is still a gorgeous epic, which ideally should be see on the big screen. Besides being one of the most incredible-looking films of the year, it's also emotionally satisfying because of DiCaprio, who sheds all vanity to portray a literally broken man. Tom Hardy provides great support as the antagonist but the real show stopper here is the -- I presume -- CGI bear which you've likely seen in the trailers. Riveting stuff.

7) The Gift - One of the biggest surprises of the year. This film was advertised as a creepy guy in the house thriller, but it was actually much more complex. Director-star Joel Edgerton made an old fashioned psychological drama, and brought out new, darker shades in Jason Bateman's persona. A truly unpredictable and sophisticated film that will only grow in stature when people discover it on streaming. I'm glad it found an audience through word of mouth.

6) Spotlight - A classy prestige picture with a flawless cast, and a unforgettable story. The film dramatizes the efforts of a Boston Globe investigative reporting unit which uncovered the widespread child abuse cover-ups of the Catholic Church. Sober and realistic, this film is a refreshing departure from the usual over-the-top Oscar fare. Mark Ruffalo and Michael Keaton are the standouts in a movie driven by performances and a script that is literate and sensitive.

5) Room - One of the most emotionally effective movies of the year, featuring my pick for Best Actress, Brie Larson, in the lead role. She performs opposite the young Jacob Tremblay, who is just as extraordinary, as a mother and son held captive.

The film, which is based on a best-selling novel of the same name, does a moving job of creating a whole world in which these two people are forced to inhabit and then fleshing out the consequences of that world as the story progresses. A very original and illuminating movie experience.

4) It Follows - This evocative, cool horror film really haunted me and I keep returning to it whenever I think about my favorite movies of the year. It's premise was so simple I was surprising no one had ever thought of it before -- and unlike so many films in the genre, this one sustained its tension throughout and never caved in to cliches. It Follows is both scary and exciting. Like many of the films on this list, it creates its own world that you get absorbed in and it has real characters and acting. What a novel idea!

3) Creed - As a lifelong Rocky fan, I was rooting for this movie to be good, but I never in a million years expected it to be a masterpiece. Michael B. Jordan gets the star role he's long deserved and knocks it out of the park. And Sylvester Stallone does the best work of his career in an Oscar-worthy performance as his best character -- Rocky Balboa. The real champ here though is Ryan Coogler, who staked his reputation of rebooting this series with an edgy story and new concepts (single take fight scenes, yes!), and yet didn't disregard what we loved about the originals. A rousing success.

2) The Force Awakens - There's little daylight between #1 and #2 for me. This is the first legitimate Star Wars film in over thirty years. It's relentlessly entertaining, funny and heartwarming. J.J. Abrams did something almost impossible here by making the most hyped movie ever be satisfying to nearly everyone. Harrison Ford turns on the charm and brings back all our fond memories of the original trilogy, while John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver get us psyched for the Star Wars to come. A nearly perfect mainstream sci-fi adventure, that deserves all the success it's getting.

1) Mad Max: Fury Road - Although this film came out several months ago and is essentially just a chase movie at the end of the day, it was an original, beautiful and wildly inventive tour de force, one of the greatest action films I have ever seen and a tribute to cinema at its finest. This is, after all, a visual medium and director George Miller leaves nothing on the field here. From the very first frame our attention is captured and what follows -- unbelievable stunts and gritty, minimalistic acting -- hasn't been topped for me, yet.

Why 'Christmas Vacation' is the best holiday movie ever

After re-watching the 1989 hit National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation on the big screen today I am now convinced that it is the best holiday-themed movie of all time. It is as wall-to-wall hilarious as Elf, it's got just as much heart as It's a Wonderful Life and enough edge to stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Gremlins.

It's a surprisingly touching movie. Despite all of its mayhem and slapstick, it's a very sweet film. Clark Griswold's desire to provide his extended family with the "perfect" Christmas is both noble and endearingly doomed.

And, in this film, Chevy Chase does some of his best work ever.

Although he is best known for (and usual excels at) aloof characters who sort of play things close to the vest, here he allows himself to be vulnerable in a way that he never did in another movie role.

It's a mistake to consider Griswold an idiot. He's not. He's naive maybe, certainly earnest to a fault, but he is relentlessly witty and knowing. Take for instance his scenes with the uproarious Cousin Eddie (played flawlessly by the underrated Randy Quaid). Their scenes are a tour de force in passive aggressive underplaying.

Each line is laugh out loud funny, with Chase deftly playing off of Quaid's obliviousness. These scenes also speak to a universal truth -- the awkwardness of navigating unwanted family members -- which is such a huge part of the holiday season.

Chevy Chase and Randy Quaid in Christmas Vacation

The film also has a spot-on sense of how much the holidays are about the best of intentions, which almost always fall short. Everyone wants to be with family, to have their home be pristine, to serve the ideal dinner -- but like most things we over-prepare for, stuff becomes unpredictable and chaotic. Christmas Vacation takes the concept of the "gradual breakdown" to its furthest extremes -- it is a broad comedy, after all -- but I think the reason it has stood the test of time is that the honest, truthful elements of it keep it grounded and relatable.

This may be a white, suburban, middle class family -- but everyone can relate to the horror of griping elderly relatives, or the anxiety of setting up Christmas lights. And once the film gets rolling, and the disasters start piling up, we all can cheer on Clark's inevitable meltdown, even if we're relieved that we've escaped the same fate.

My favorite part of this film is Clark Griswold's brief dissent into madness. Not only is his "where's the Tylenol?" rant one of the best in movies, but there are few left field jokes more amusing to me than his substituting "coffin" for "tree," just brilliant.

Christmas movies can often be a touch too cute and predictable, and this film effectively avoids most of the worst cliches of the genre. Even the feel-good ending comes after a totally unique sequence where a full-blown swat team descends upon the Griswold household, and Clark's wife uses one hand to cover her husband's genitals while keeping another one up in defense.

Watching this film around the holidays has become a welcome tradition for me. I know every line, every joke by heart and yet they still bring a smile to my face, and occasionally a tear to me eye.