Most favorite "American" Films

CEBU, Philippines - George Clooney, all hunky, mysterious and frequently shirtless, plays an assassin in “The American.” That’s sort of a ho-hum name for a thriller starring one of Hollywood’s most powerful leading men, but it also makes you realize just how many movies have the word “American” in their title.

This week, I’m choosing favorites — with “American,” mind you, not “America.” We’ll have to find some other excuse to talk about the greatness of “Team America: World Police.” And naturally, because there are way more than five to choose from, I’ve had to exclude some biggies that are probably your favorites. So speak your mind. It’s the American way:

• “American Splendor” (2003): An inventive, funny and frequently touching look at the life of groundbreaking comic-book writer Harvey Pekar. Part feature, part documentary, it offers Paul Giamatti playing the acerbic Pekar alongside Pekar himself, with Hope Davis playing his wife, Joyce, alongside the real-life Joyce. It’s joyous with the possibility of experimentation. Pekar, who died this summer, was a complicated guy, so approaching him from a variety of angles paints an even more compelling picture. And it works because longtime character actor Giamatti is tremendous here in his first lead role.

• “American Beauty” (1999): In retrospect, a plastic bag floating in the wind is not the most beautiful thing in the world, but actually kind of a pretentious metaphor. Still, director Sam Mendes and writer Alan Ball were onto something here, tapping into a sense of dissatisfaction and self-doubt within seemingly idyllic suburbia at the turn of the millennium. With its dreamy, often surreal imagery (the work of the late, great cinematographer Conrad L. Hall), it’s shot and edited gorgeously. But it’s also laceratingly funny, with a career-defining performance from Kevin Spacey. And oh yeah, it won five Academy Awards, including best picture.

• “American History X” (1998): Edward Norton just tears it up here, and duly gets much of the credit for the film’s emotional heft. His intense performance as a former neo-Nazi skinhead earned him an Oscar nomination and further solidified his persona as an actor willing to dig deep for a role. But the entire cast in this harrowing drama is strong, including Edward Furlong as Norton’s worshipful younger brother, Beverly D’Angelo as their mother and Ethan Suplee as a fellow neo-Nazi. Director Tony Kaye’s film — which Kaye wanted his name removed from in a bitter dispute over the final edit — paints a complete picture of hatred and redemption as it moves back and forth between past and present.

• “An American Werewolf in London” (1981): In an exciting departure from “Animal House” and “The Blues Brothers,” writer-director John Landis cleverly balanced the funny and the frightening with this story of a couple of American students (David Naughton and Griffin Dunne) who run into some monstrous trouble while backpacking through England. The transformation Naughton’s character undergoes is riveting, and the elaborate special-effects makeup deservedly earned Rick Baker an Academy Award. “American Werewolf” also paved the way for Landis to direct Michael Jackson’s landmark “Thriller” video. (THE FREEMAN)