Snobbin: Beautiful Trash in the Pop Culture Gutter

10. River's Edge (1986) Few coming-of-age films are as tragic or engaging as Tim Hunter's River's Edge,  which steadily raises the stakes for its characters throughout its 100-minute running time, illustrating how trauma and peer pressure can be as horrific as any movie monster. Fine performances from Keanu Reeves, Ione Skye, and Crispin Glover temper Neil Jiminez's dark script with humanity and realism. Reeves, in particular, stands out as a compassionate teen caught between protecting his friends and doing what is right. He shows depth that does not surface as often in his later films, allowing him a range that many critics ignore. If you like Kids (1995) or other transgressive teen dramas, you should watch this one as soon as possible.  9. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) Martin Scorsese's comedic drama is possibly my favorite of all his films because it presents realistic human relationships through understated performances. Straying from the crime th...

Before Mark Oliver Everett started the Eels, he released two albums under his moniker E on Polydor records: 1992's  A Man Called E and 1993's  Broken Toy Shop . Both are long out of print, and this is a shame because they both reach the level of excellence of his later work in the Eels.  Both albums are chock full of E's wry sense of humor and penchant for self-deprecation. They also look ahead to his love of peculiar instrumentation and experimentation with programming. One quick takeaway is that E loves glockenspiel, melodica, and accordion. He plays many of the instruments on these records himself, building an atmosphere of longing and regret amidst a foundation of catchy melodies. However, the records do feel more traditional and warmer than most of the Eels catalog.  A Man Called E quickly prepares the listener for E's worldview with a pair of songs that privilege his outsider status ("Hello Cruel World," "Fitting in with the Misfits") while ack...