American Graffiti (1973)

Where Were You In '62? the poster asks us, a question which perfectly defines the nature of this film. This excellent tagline, along with the film itself, captures the innocence of what has been described as the last innocent time in American history. Long before we were nostalgic for the '70s (Dazed and Confused), the '70s was nostalgic for the doo-wop playing, drag racing, late 1950s era.

 American Graffiti tells the tale of a group of friends who have just graduated from high school. They begin doubting what their futures hold for them, and if it is what they want. This plot synopsis is purposefully generic, for it shows how this film could be about any teenager in any era. That is one of the beautiful aspects of this movie; it is timeless.

 Before George Lucas gained stardom for "Star Wars" (1977), and received a huge amount of backlash for the prequels to it, he was making small films. In my opinion, American Graffiti is his best film, due to the massive amount of heart it has. The time period alone makes viewers cherish every moment. The beautiful vehicles and the wonderful music makes one wonder why society had to change. And change it did.

 It is no coincidence that American Graffiti is set in 1962, the year prior to President Kennedy's assassination. The conflict in Vietnam also materialized around this time. Lucas set the film in '62 because it was the final year of what is considered the golden days of post-WWII America. This is rather evident within the film; despite its beauty there is always a sense of sudden closure looming over the characters.

 This is cemented by the final moments of the film, which inform the viewer what happens to each character in the years to come. Needless to say, the film captures the final night of their wonder years.

Any generation can relate to what the characters go through; Kurt and Steve don't know if they want to go to college, Toad just wants to finally get the girl, and John Milner attempts to avoid growing up as much as possible. American Graffiti is one of the greatest films ever made, and absolutely refuses to age.

The Cars (1978)

By 1978, the sound of mainstream Rock N Roll has transitioned from the rawness of the early 70s into what would become known as arena rock. This was essentially rock bands that put out highly polished records that some would consider generic. Although I am a fan of bands such as Boston, Foreigner, etc, I can understand this argument.

But along with the punk rock revolts occuring at the time, there was something else formulating, and a band called The Cars were helping define it.

New Wave was an experimental form of rock that would catch on with the success of band like Blondie. But in my opinion, the true first success of the genre came in the form of 1978's "The Cars", the band's self titled debut.

The album was without a doubt Rock N Roll, for Buddy Holly's influence can easily be heard on tracks such as "My Best Friend's Girl". If someone states that The Cars don't play guitar driven music, they would be referring to their later, 80s efforts. This first album has a ton of heavy guitar playing in the form of "Just What I Needed" and "You're All I've Got Tonight".

The more experimental tracks on the album, such as "I'm In Touch With Your World" and "Moving In Stereo" are where the band truly shines, for it is their area of expertise. This was a group of oddballs playing music, so naturally their songs would be joyfully wacky.

The Cars's debut is one of the greatest rock records of all time due to its originality and for not delving too far into experimental New Wave.