Starting Lineups: Greatest MC's of All-Time

Even though this was started as a sports blog, we've always found ways to dabble into other areas of entertainment. I wrote a tribute to Michael Jackson last year. Gabe covered the Oscars, and both of us are coming off a piece in this very same weekly feature where we listed movies in desperate need of a remake.

Today, we dabble in music again, this time in the one genre where the two of us share a common ground: Hip-hop. Some will argue that a debate over who's the greatest MC of all time should not be held by a North Jersey Italian and a New York Puerto Rican. To them, we say "Fuck 'em!". So, for the two or three true hip hop fans left in a declining rap economy, we dedicate this piece to you.

DAVE:

9. Redman/Method Man: They were so similar as MC's that it's impossible to put one over the other. Somehow, fate brought together hip-hop's Cheech and Chong to create the greatest two-man wrecking crew since Eric B. & Rakim. Among the pantheon of classic hip hop albums, Redman's "Muddy Waters" and Meth's "Tical" will always rank among my top 5 or 10 favorite albums of all time. Redman deserves credit for putting Jersey hip-hop on the map, along with Queen Latifah and Naughty By Nature. Meth was the best rapper in, at least in my opinion, the greatest rap group of all-time: The Wu-Tang Clan. Their collaborative album, "Blackout", was every bit as great as fans anticipated. Inevitably, they got involved in movies and came back to a hip-hop generation more concerned with snappin' and poppin' and ringtone jingles, but even today, Red and Meth are better than nearly any new jack you can name.

8. Canibus: In sports, we talk about guys having a high "basketball IQ" or "football IQ". Canibus had a high rhyme IQ. YouTube any old Canibus freestyle or find an old cassette with some old Canibus joints on it and you will be amazed. His wordplay, delivery, flow were all mind-blowing. "2nd Round KO", the diss track that 'Bus unleashed on LL Cool J, is(to me, at least) second only to Nas' Ether in terms of the greatest diss tracks of all time. Many gave LL the W, but I think that's more mainstream hype than actual fact. Canibus' career may be long over as, even with all his skill, he could never sell records but there will probably never be a lyricist as nice as the man once regarded as "The Next Rakim".

7. Nas: How is the responsible for the greatest diss track of all-time and the winner of one of the most publicized rap battles this far down the list? Well, for all of Nas' greatness, he's wildly inconsistent. He followed up his first two solid albums("Illmatic" and "It Was Written") with a piss-poor Firm album and two even more intolerable LPs("I Am" and "Nastradamus"). It's hard to put a rapper as great as Nas too high when he has "Oochie Wally" and "Owe Me Back" to his credit. Nas came back out of rap's death trap by humiliating Jay-Z by dropping the song "Ether" on the remarkable comeback album, "Stillmatic". But even after following "Stillmatic" up with another great album, "God's Son", Nas dropped "Street's Disciple", which some people liked and some people didn't. "Hip Hop Is Dead" and "Untitled" were great bounce back albums that showed the old vintage Nas and all signs point to his latest album with Damien Marley being another smash. So yeah, Nas SHOULD probably be higher, but Nas is as responsible for his great hits as he is for his epic misses.

6. Eminem: White people everywhere owe their newfound hipness to Slim Shady. He managed to pull off the seemingly impossible task of erasing the "Vanilla Ice" stigma from all white rappers and helped bring hip-hop to the suburbs and the mainstream.....and that's where my problem with Mr. Mathers lies. Don't get me wrong, I love Eminem. I love his music. I love his balls-to-the-wall approach to address any subject matter, anytime. What I don't love is the millions of suburban white kids in sagging pants and sideways caps who think they know hip hop because they just bought that new Soulja Boy. Em's mainstream success brought hip-hop to a higher level and broadened its horizons and, if today's music is any indication, it was obviously a mistake. Hip-hop was always meant to be underground because, as proven with bums like Soulja Boy or Jibbs or any other half-assed commercial rapper, the genre was going to suffer when it put in the wrong hands.

When MTV tried to jump back on the rap bandwagon after leaving it for dead on the sidewalk years before Em's debut, it ushered in a new wave of guys who didn't have much talent but had the ability to make pop-friendly records. MTV wanted no part of the Jadakisses or Talib Kwelis, they just wanted to put a backwards Yankee cap on Fred Durst and call it rap-rock so white kids could eat it up. Now, Em isn't a flash in a pan commercial pop rapper like so many of his brethren collecting a check today and certainly, he didn't intentionally put hip-hop in the state it's in, but his success helped cause this. Still, the fact that Eminem managed to have ANY success is an incredible feat on its own. He managed to give downtrodden white kids, who couldn't relate to the "slingin' rocks and guns shots" of gangsta rap a voice. He went against the grain and made commercially-acceptable music that even hardcore hip hop heads could listen to. He did things HIS way and, eventhough he's dropped two subpar albums the last two times out, there is still nobody who can touch Slim Shady when he's on his A-Game.

5. Rakim: To fans of true hip hop, Rakim is as respected of a name as any in the game. He, along with guys like Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One, and Kool Moe Dee, defined '80's hip-hop. His tag-teaming with Eric B. set the game on its ear and even now, as new fans have either forgotten him or never heard of him, he's dropping albums that have more depth than most of hip-hop's new class. For all the alleged new hip-hop heads who swear by Drake or think Lil Wayne is the greatest rapper of all-time, I defy you to put any of their albums against "Paid in Full".

4. 2Pac: I couldn't in good conscience put Em and Rakim ahead of 'Pac. Eventhough I was never a HUGE 'Pac fan(yes, I know, blasphemy. Sue me), and eventhough his life was cut short just as his career was about to hit its peak, you have to give credit where credit is due. 2Pac rejuvenated an entire coast after the West went dormant after the N.W.A. breakup. 'Pac not only made party records like "I Get Around" or "California Love", he was able to flex his poetic ability and touch on social issues with "Brenda's Got A Baby", "Changes", "Dear Mama" and "Keep Ya Head Up". For all of 'Pac's soft side, he was as fiery as they come. Never one to back down, he threw the first sucker punch in the media-inspired East Coast-West Coast rivalry with "Hit 'Em Up", an all-out assault on the Notorious B.I.G. and Bad Boy Records. Had 'Pac lived to see the whole beef with Biggie through, we might have gotten more of a grasp as to where his place in hip-hop history stands. For now, he's a legend with a vast cult following whose memory will never go away, even as the genre he helped keep alive slowly dwindles to nothing.

3. Jay-Z: He started out as a rapper and became an entrepreneur. Jay-Z has become the ultimate mix of street hustler and buttoned-up business man. He's more than just a recording artist now. He's a brand name. He's an entity. He owns part of the New Jersey Nets. He once ran Def Jam, the holy grail of hip hop labels. He's made classic album after classic album("Reasonable Doubt", "Hard Knock Life", "The Blueprint".....you know what, if I have to name them for you, you shouldn't be reading the list). My issue with Hova, and the real reason he's not at the top of this list, is three things. One, for a man who claims to keep all of his rhymes in his head and doesn't write anything down, far too many of his "freestyles" I've managed to hear on songs either before or after the initial freestyle. Second, far too many of Biggie's rhymes come out the man's mouth. I know he's paying tribute to his mentor but there comes a time where you have to say, enough's enough. Maybe that's being petty, but I don't care. To me, you can't call yourself the greatest rapper of all time if you're constantly biting from someone else. Third, and perhaps the most important, Jay-Z got absolutely destroyed by Nas. You'd be a fool to try to argue the other way around. The only reason Jay is up higher than Nas is that he doesn't have Nas' fatal flaw of laying eggs when it comes to dropping albums. Of the 11 albums, Jay-Z's put out, I disliked only 1 of them(His "comeback from retirement" record, Kingdom Come). Jay-Z has always been remarkably consistent. He's managed to stay relevant in a time where rappers of his age and ilk are being thrown by the waist side and replaced with more media-friendly acts. He's just a great rapper who will never go away and now, with all his success from other business endeavors, he's not only a player in the rap game but a player in the business world and a name at the end of the lips of guys who no longer associate him with rap music.

2. KRS-One: If you're going to write me hate mail because I have Mr. Parker ahead of Jigga and 'Pac, save your breath. Without KRS-One, there's be no 2Pac. There'd be no Jay-Z. There'd be Biggie or anyone else(save for maybe Rakim) on this list. KRS-One isn't the founder of hip-hop but he might as well be. His face should be permanently entrenched on the Mount Rushmore of Hip Hop. He helped bring hip-hop from disco clubs and street corner sound systems to something a bit more mainstream. His live show is the stuff of legends. Go pay $200 and try to find someone who moves a crowd STILL like "The Blastmaster". You will lose. He emerged victorious from his legendary battle with MC Shan, dropping the classic "The Bridge Is Over". He did hip-hop a huge favor and dismantled Nelly, eventhough Nelly continued to sell records after Kris dropped "Ova Here". He's a living legend. He's the teacher. Some rappers are iconic. KRS-One is an institution. His significance to this genre goes past just a verse or his run with BDP or "The Temple of Hip-Hop". It's about how his impact opened the door for so many legends that came after him.

1. Notorious B.I.G.: His first two albums(and really the only two albums he's responsible for before his death), "Ready To Die" and "Life After Death", are as good if not better than ANY two albums you want to put out there. Biggie's the classic example, much like 'Pac, of a great career that ended before it could ever really start, so it says a lot that he managed to have such a profound impact off of essentially two full-length albums. He was, in every aspect, a complete MC. His flow was incredible. His wordplay was ridiculous. The way he subliminally ripped Nas a new one on "Kick In The Door" was crazy. He resuscitated New York hip hop and, along with the Wu-Tang Clan, gave the East Coast something 2Pac and Death Row and the guys on the West Coast had to compete with. His early death not only robbed us of what would have been a ground-breaking career but also the chance to see two of the greats battle it out in a legit battle between him and 2Pac. On this list, we talked about guys making wack records, I've never even heard BIG make a wack verse. EVER. To me, that alone makes him the greatest rapper of all-time.

Gabe:

9. Chuck D - What makes someone the greatest MC? Sometimes it's the written rhyme. Sometimes it's freestyling. Sometimes it's crossing over into other arenas like acting, producing, business, etc. Sometimes, like in the case of Chuck D, it is inventing, and still being the best at, a sub-genre of hip-hop. He essentially created political rap. There were guys before him that were socially conscious, but never with the strength and in-your-face attitude that Chuck had. He was bold. He was outspoken. He wasn't remaking "The Message." Also, make no mistake, this all about Chuck D. Flavor Flav was simply a hype man. Chuck was the creative force and leader of Public Enemy.

8. Jay-Z - I'm putting Jay-Z on my list because not only is he a great MC, but he is also the greatest businessman in hip-hop history. His early music is incredible. His entrepreneurial successes are well documented, Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam, etc. Although I think his music fallen off recently (Dave and I go in circles about "Empire State of Mind"), even now, when he is on, he is better than most out there. "D.O.A." is such an intelligent song. The beat and music are complex. The song is a unashamed indictment of the state of current rap. It makes you wish the people he was attacking would make better music, or at least recognize the song is about them.

7. KRS-One - Like Dave said, KRS-One is a teacher and a living legend. He was relevant and innovative over 20 years ago and he still is today. He appears on tracks these days and is as good or better than anyone he appears with. His live shows are legendary. And above all else he is one of the most intelligent and eloquent rappers in the game.

6. J-Live - J-Live is on this list because of his lyrics. He is one of the smartest people in hip-hop. His metaphors and wordplay are second to none. Listen to the track "Firewater" in which he likens his flow to alcohol and carries the metaphor throughout the entire song. He is also a producer and DJ who creates his own beats. He is a triple threat, and even calls his company 3TP, as in Triple Threat Productions. Part of the reason he is not higher on my list is his thematic elements. He is constantly rhyming about how much is underground and how he isn't popular but is better than the guys on the radio. That shtick gets old after a few albums. Also, since his early work and the track "Them That's Not" he hasn't really cracked the mainstream, and there is something to be said for being able to make complex, intelligent, yet still accessible music. More on that later.

5. Eminem - The obvious? He's the greatest and most important white rapper ever. He makes you forget color. The not-so-obvious? He is a brilliant storyteller. His lyrical strength is not in wordplay, but in constructing a narrative. Think about songs like "Guilty Conscience," "Lose Yourself," and the best example "Stan." After hearing "Stan," SNL's Lorne Michaels said, "I don't know rap, but I know writing, and that's good writing." His imagery may be gruesome and violent but no one pulls you through a story, from opening to conflict to climax to ending, like Mr. Mathers.

4. Tupac - Call him the greatest utility infielder in hip-hop history. Pac could do everything. He made songs you could dance to. He made songs that made you think about social issues. He made heartfelt songs, like "Dear Mama." His songs covered every subject imaginable. He probably wasn't the best at any single aspect of hip-hop, but he was great, and better than most, at all of them. On a personal note, with the exception of my no. 1, he is the only person on this list that if you asked for my favorite lyric of theirs, I would have an immediate answer. The opening lines from "Troublesome '96"....."Menacin' methods label me a lethal weapon/Makin' n****s die witnessin' breathless imperfection."

3. Mos Def - In my humble opinion he is best actor of the great rappers. From his days in Black Star to this year, when he dropped The Ecstatic, he has consistently made great music. Black On Both Sides and The Ecstatic are amazing. He is the lead on the greatest hip-hop song ever written, "Respiration." He has branched out into other genres of music, like rock with his band Black Jack Johnson. He is smart, socially conscious, and funny. And the thing I like the most might be his flow. He has the smoothest delivery of anyone not named Method Man. Also, remember what I said about being intelligent and cracking the mainstream? Mos is an example of how to do that right.

2. Rakim - I am putting Rakim this high because of how long he has been doing what he does. Unlike most rappers from the early days, KRS-One included, all of his stuff sounds like it could be released today. He was way ahead of his time. He has influenced countless other great rappers. And trust me, listen to "Follow The Leader." It still holds up.

1. Black Thought - To me this is simple. The best is obvious. And, this is my list. I think Thought is the greatest written rhymer out there. Songs like "Proceed," "Step Into The Realm," "The Next Movement," and "Don't Feel Right" show this. He is also one of the best freestyle artists ever. Tracks like "Thought @Work" and "Web" could be packaged together in a textbook titled "Lessons To A Young Freestyler." They are basically freestyles set to music and put on wax. On top of all of this he fronts the most genre bending groups in hip-hop, The Roots, the first hip-hop band if you will. They were the first to have live instruments, not a DJ, on stage backing their frontmen. His lyrics and their music are the most creative in hip-hop.

That's it, that's the list. Boom (another Roots song). Roasted.

Starting Lineups: Movies That Should Be Remade

With originality at an all-time low, movie studios are constantly green-lighting new generation remakes of age-old classics. We've already seen remakes of Clash of the Titans, Alice in Wonderland, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and tonight will be the opening of the new Robin Hood movie starring Russell Crowe(as well as another "Karate Kid" movie with Will Smith's coming....unfortunately). We've seen classic TV shows find newfound relevance on the big screen like Transformers, The question is: Are these the right movies to be re-made and are there other more deserving candidates that should be freshened up for the nation's youth?

Consider that question answered today by your friends here at BoomRoastedSports. In this week's Starting Lineup, Gabe and I will rank the nine movies most desperately in need of a remake.

DAVE

9. Super Mario Brothers (Original release: 1993) - If you ask any video game fan, they will tell there is no denying this indisputable fact: The Super Mario Brothers movie was a huge steaming turd. The problem wasn't necessarily that it was a re-telling of a video game as much as it was a re-telling of a video game using real-life people. Mario is a character whose story is best retold animated. Movies made out of video games always tend not to represent fully the awesomeness of the game it was based on. Resident Evil failed. So did Bloodrayne, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Max Payne. You can't expect a movie about a video game to be taken serious with Dennis Hopper rocking a turtle shell. With so many movies moving to 3D and with video games(especially Nintendo's products) being at its peak in popularity, you can make an animated Mario movie(based on the first game or tying in all of the games into one big plot) work in this generation. As for the voices? So long as you don't dial up Bob Hoskins again, I'm fine with whoever you can come up with.

8. The Glass Menagerie (Original release: There's been plenty, the most recent being in 1987 but the most notable being the Katherine Hepburn/Sam Waterson version in 1973) - Some plays that turned into movies just can't be touched. Streetcar Named Desire with Marlon Brando being one of them. The Glass Menagerie , on the other hand, could definitely be redone. The story of mother trying to find a suitor for her shy daughter, much to the chagrin of her surly son is something that can reel in audiences. People are suckers for cheesy love stories and the Twilight saga has proven that they don't even have to be good for them to sell. For the role of Tom, how about Garrett Hedlund(who played the youngest Mercer brother Jack in Four Brothers)? The shy daughter can be done by Amanda Seyfried(Mamma Mia) or Anne Hathaway(Brokeback Mountian). The mother? Perhaps Sally Field(Forest Gump). As for Jim O'Conner, the gentleman caller, I suppose you can use any meathead dreamboat like, say Justin Timberlake, to get the girls all excited.

7. Beverly Hills Cop (Original release: The original BHC was 1984, but the third and most recent one came about 10 years after that) - Some people believe Beverly Hills Cop belongs on the list with Scarface, The Godfather, and Rocky of "Movies That Should Not Be Touched". After all, Eddie Murphy IS Axel Foley. Given his stretch of terrible script choices, it may be his most recognizable role to guys like myself and Gabe(those younger than us would say "Donkey" in the Shrek series). However, did we think anyone could out-do Jack Nicholson as "The Joker" before Heath Ledger did it? Eddie Murphy has done so many bad movies(Daddy Day Care, Pluto Nash, Meet Dave, Imagine That) that most people forget both how great the original Beverly Hills Cop was AND how great Murphy was in it. Still, do you think it's impossible that Jamie Foxx or Dave Chappelle could step into Murphy's huge shoes as Axel Foley and be at least half way decent? Now, there's talks that there will be a fourth B.H.C. with Murphy in it in 2012 but, for right now, that's hearsay. Even if there IS going to be a fourth installment, why not have a guy like Foxx or Chappelle or another young black comedian in there as well to pass the torch?

6. RoboCop (Original release: 1987) In the 80's and 90's, America had tons of action-hero bad asses: John McClain(Die Hard series), John Rambo(Rambo series), Rocky Balboa(Rocky series), Terminator....hell, even Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal put out somewhat watchable action movies(at least, watchable for THAT era) back then. Now? Kids are dressed like Yu Gi Oh characters or dressing like vampires to be like the Twilight geeks. There's no quintessential character that kids and adults will pay to watch wreck shop. There's no RoboCop. The old RoboCop was a victim of late-80's special effects limitations and eventually fell victim to oversaturation once the 3rd movie came out in '93. It's been 17 years since then and special effects are far and away more advanced than when Peter Weller was Alex Murphy. A new RoboCop could draw with both older folks familiar with the original and a younger generation thirsting to watch things get blown up. Since the suit does most of the work, Weller's heir doesn't have to be some puffed-up musclehead like John Cena or Brock Lesnar. How about Daniel Craig, who did a fine job taking over the James Bond mantle over the last few years? You could have Craig initially as a victim of an act of terrorism and then reborn as the new RoboCop sent overseas to tear shit up. It would be like a less comic-nerdy Iron Man.

5. Mad Max (Original: 1979, with sequels in '81 and '85)- Keeping with the "America Lacks A Bad Ass" theme, I give you Mad Max. There aren't many characters in today's movies that equal the awesomeness of Mel Gibson's portrayal back in the late-70's/early-80's. Hollywood loves to recycle the "cop with a personal vendetta" angle. Hell, even Gibson himself tried to go to that well again with Edge of Darkness. That movie, of course, epically failed, mainly because Mel Gibson has become more of a washed-up, Jew-hating drunk than a wise-cracking ass-kicker. Young people don't realize this is the same guy who was Martin Riggs and William Wallace. To them, he's the dick who made Apocolypto. That's why the remake can be filled by someone with a reputation for being more of a tough guy. My wife suggested Clive Owen(Inside Man, King Arthur) or Gerard Butler. Another nominee was Mark Wahlberg. Wahlberg may have failed as video game cop Max Payne, but he was solid in The Departed and in Four Brothers. Butler was cunning in Law Abiding Citizen and a warrior in 300. Both have the acting chops and the build to play Max.

4. Short Circuit (Original release 1986, sequel 1988) - You can make the case that there's already been a remake of the original Short Circuit in the much better sequel, Short Circuit II. Still, people who remember the Short Circuit movies certainly wouldn't mind an updated version of the wise-cracking robot. With the advent of the internet and the rise of social networking, not to mention the myriad of other technological advancements, you can definitely make a Short Circuit remake intriguing to fans of the original as well as interesting to young kids who will probably mistake Johnny 5 for Wall-E. My only demand? No Steve Guttenberg. You can talk me into an Ally Sheedy return, but Gutts is a no-no.

3. Any Kevin Costner movie except for JFK - Movie nuts, sports fans in particular, tend to overrate the entertainment value of Costner's films. Yes, Bull Durham and Field of Dreams were classics, but is Costner irreplaceable in those roles? Could you not sub Costner out in Field of Dreams for, say, Tom Cruise or Jon Cusack? Costner gets alot of credit for being in a couple of classic movies(like Field of Dreams and Bull Durham, as well as Tin Cup and Dances with Wolves), but lest we forget, this is the same guy who gave us Waterworld, The Postman, and Swing Vote. There's a reason why Costner's movies tanked after the 80's....people realized he was as cultivating as Al Gore. Costner's celebrity was built around great supporting casts and solid scripts. He's the Brian Billick of actors: a man who gets all of the fame for the performances of others. I excluded JFK because, as unbearable as Costner is at times as Jim Garrison, I couldn't put anyone else in that spot like I could with other movies. You can put Matthew McConaghey in Costner's place in Tin Cup. You can cast Cusak or Cruise in his baseball classics. JFK? I'm not saying a replacement is impossible(because any actor with at least a decent amount of acting chops could top Costner) but it would be hard to get Costner's image out of that movie.

2. Daredevil/Ghost Rider/Elektra/Cat Woman (Original releases: 2003, 2005, 2007, 2004...respectively) - Christopher Nolan's resurrection of Batman in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight after The Caped Crusader franchise was buried by horrid flicks like Batman and Robin and Batman Forever proves that you can salvage a bomb if it's in the right hands. The four comic book movies, while based around less popular characters, could have been better if they weren't rushed in an effort to eat off the popularity of the Spiderman and X-Men movies. The problem with Daredevil and Ghost Rider is that the lead roles were given to terrible actors(Ben Affleck for Daredevil and Nic Cage for Ghost Rider). Look at what happened with The Incredible Hulk when they swapped out Eric Bana for Edward Norton. You put a legit actor in a lead role, even if it's based around a frilly comic book plot, and you can make a solid movie out of it. Nobody's buying Ben Affleck as some ass-kicking hard ass. They barely buy him as a B-level actor. The same for Cage, whose post-Leaving Las Vegas career has been Eddie Murphy-esque.

Catwoman was a movie that should have just never been made. Nobody cared that much about Michelle Pfieffer doing the same role in the Batman Returns, and she did a way better job with the role than Halle Berry. Elektra is sort of the same deal. Just because comic book movies are popular doesn't mean fans will run out to see a Marvel movie based on anyone(which Marvel will find out when Thor comes out). A movie like Ghost Rider is going to be driven mostly by special effects....but that doesn't mean you just put a shitty actor in their for the rare speaking parts. As for who would play Ghost Rider? I don't know. I always thought Michael Madsen was enough of a hard ass to play the role, but he suffers from the same acting deficiency that Cage suffers from. I wouldn't mind Daredevil being redone with Affleck's much more talented butt-buddy Matt Damon. Elektra could sub out Jennifer Garner for Megan Fox(Transformers) or Amy Adams(Enchanted) and Catwoman can just cease to exist, but if need be, can use someone like Zoe Saldana(Avatar).

1.The Breakfast Club (Original release: 1985) - The Breakfast Club probably deserves to be on the Untouchable list, but what better way to remember the late John Hughes than with a classy redux of perhaps his best piece of work. The success of the High School Musical movies and Glee proves people still get up for cheesy afternoon specials turned into merchandise-selling phenomenons. That doesn't mean we replace Emilio Estevez with Zac Efron. The new Breakfast Club deserves a worthy cast. The only consensus no-brainer I've gotten in terms of the new cast is Juno's Ellen Page playing eccentric Allison(played originally by Ally Sheedy). Initially, I liked Scarlett Johannson for "Claire" but she's become movie napalm over the years so I've settled in on Blake Lively(Gossip Girl). Chris Evans(Fantasic Four, Not Another Teen Movie) could play Emilio Estevez's character, Andrew, as he can't be any worse as a boring jock than Estevez was. For geeky Brian, played by Anthony Michael Hall, how about Michael Cera in a Juno reunion with Page? Somebody pitched the idea of Judd Nelson's John Bender being played by Johnny Depp but Depp is too much of a weirdo to play a tough guy role. Instead, how about Emille Hirsch(Girl Next Door, Alpha Dog)? There may be no topping the original but The Breakfast Club is one of the rare old classics that can still be relevant today and, with Hughes' passing, it deserves a revamping as both a tribute to its creator and as a way for the classic to live on with a new audience.

Gabe's List

9. The Jericho Mile - (Original Release Date - 1979, TV Movie) So, I kick my list off with a TV movie from the 70's. Why would I do that? Well, because it's a damn good movie that almost no one born in the last 30 years is aware of, and even fewer have seen...which is exactly why it should be rebooted for today's audience. It's about a guy serving a life sentence for murder (a crime of passion, btw), who is a runner talented enough to make the Olympic team, which is evident even when he runs in basketball shoes in the potholed track in the prison yard. Because he is a convicted murderer he can't get a furlough to run on an Olympic sanctioned track, so officials decide to build one at the prison and give him his shot at greatness. His running partner inside is black, and the movie uses this to explore the racial and political minefield that prison can be. Oh, and the movie helped launch the career of Michael Mann, a director/producer you may have heard of. So who plays the lead? You need a sinewy athletic white guy who also has the acting chops to convey the emotional range of the character. Maybe someone like Paul Bettany.

8. Double Indemnity - (Original Release Date - 1944) This is all about seeing a modern day actor in a classic role (a theme of mine, you'll notice). I would love to see Phillip Seymour Hoffman play Edward G. Robinson's character. He was short portly guy, running around delivering one-liners and bad news. Hoffman would be great.

7. The Philadelphia Story - (Original Release Date - 1940) Tom Hanks is often called a modern day Jimmy Stewart and I would love to see Hanks reprise Stewart's role in this movie. It would be worth the price of admission just to see him re-enact the late night scene where Stewart's character drops off Katherine Hepburn's character, in which Stewart plays the funniest drunk person I have ever seen. Really, I'd like to see Hanks remake almost any Stewart movie, but we'll start here because it's a comedy. This might sound like sacrilege too, but I would like to see Isla Fisher in Hepburn's role. She'd be perfect. A smokin' hot red-head in a comedic role where the character is a little off-kilter? We've seen Fisher do that before.

6. The Wizard of Oz - (Original Release Date - 1939) I think this should be done simply because of the special effects. There have been numerous re-imaginings, The Wiz, Syfy's Tin Man, but there has not been a faithful remake of the movie. Some would say it's sacrilege to remake a movie that is such a landmark in the history of special effects, but that is why it would be perfect. Why not take this movie and show what can be done with CGI and 3-D? I think it could be great.

5. North by Northwest - (Original release date - 1959) This is simple and again about special effects. The movie is a tightly wound chase story, which features a bi-plane chasing the main character in a field, and a chase across the face of Mt. Rushmore. These two sequences with updated effects could be worth the price of admission alone. It would also be a chance to correct one of the biggest gaffes in film history. (Check out the kid in the background, and notice when he puts his fingers in his ears.)

4. The Matrix - (Original Relase Date - 1999) I know this kind of recent but this is all about special effects too. The stop-motion circular filming was groundbreaking, but imagine how much cooler it would look in 3-D. With today's 3-D technology this film could look that much better. It could be used to provide the same effect as the stop-motion, but better, and more often.

3. Manos: The Hands of Fate - (Original Release Date - 1966) "Manos" is universally considered the worst movie of all time, so I think it would be hilarious to see a faithful remake with A-list stars. That's it, that's the reason.

2. War Games - (Original Release Date - 1983) In sort of keeping one of my themes, this is about updating of technology, but this time it will actually affect the plot of the movie. Imagine this movie updated so that a kid hacks into Defense Department computers now. Imagine how scary this movie could be, especially in the paranoia of our post-9/11 world.

1. Fear of A Black Hat - (Original Release Date - 1994) The original is a mockumentary that clowns every major, and minor, rap act from the late eighties and early nineties. It does it with an original, and brilliant, parody-driven soundtrack. It follows a fictional rap group, N.W.H. (N*****s Wit Hats), as they try and navigate the popular rap scene, try to achieve stardom, all while beefin' with their rivals, The Jam Boys, and constantly losing white managers in mysterious ways, which leads to the classic line "We was outta town when that shit happened." My friend Henri and I even came up with the plot of the update, which is also more of a sequel...Tasty Taste, one of N.W.H., is in jail and the other two, Tone Def and Ice Cold, get back together to put on a benefit concert for his legal fees. They invite a roster of currently relevant rappers, and boom, let the clowning begin.