The movie that almost makes me forgive him for "Sabrina" (but probably not "Six Days, Seven Nights"): "Raiders of the Lost Ark"

This is my favorite movie of all time. Well, this and "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo."

Really, of all the movies I could watch over and over and over, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" tops the list. It's just a great movies ... action-packed, funny, great-looking ... the whole package. Almost a quarter-century after it came out, "Raiders" still holds up extremely well, even if the DVD guys now sell it as "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark."

I know this because I got the DVD box set for Christmas, and I couldn't resist watching the first and best in the series on the big TV today. Even told My Luminous and Brilliant Wife to clear out for a couple of hours. With the day off, the man of the house needed some quality couch time with Indy, Marion, Belloq, Sallah and the whole gang.

What always amazes me about "Raiders" is how the movie never, ever has a dull moment. That doesn't mean we get sensory overload. With the crappy story and character development of some movies these days, the only way to keep audiences interested is by constantly moving the camera around and throwing digital effects on the screen every other minute. But while "Raiders" has its share of special effects and and plenty of action, there's also a plot and characters with more than one dimension, led by Dr. Jones himself.

It was impossible for a boy in the '80s to watch this movie and not think Harrison Ford was the coolest man alive. I mean, he was both Indiana Jones and Han Solo, for god's sake! As Indy, Ford had the perfect mix of brains, wit and brawn, although he certainly wasn't a Stallone-Arnold type impervious to pain. Indeed, watching him take so much punishment while chasing down the Ark is a big part of the fun. There's very much a "now what?" element to the story.

I can't imagine anyone doesn't know the plot of "Raiders," so let's just run down some of the best lines:

"Throw me the idol, I'll throw you the whip!"

"Didn't any of you guys ever go to Sunday school?"

"An army that carries the Ark before it... is invincible."

"I'm going after a find of incredible historical significance, and you're talking about the boogie man."

"The man is nefarious."

"Fräulein Ravenwood, let me show you what I am used to ... "

"Shoot them ... shoot them both."

"You want to talk to God? Let's go see him together, I've got nothing better to do."

"They're digging in the wrong place!"

"Bad dates."

"You Americans, you're all the same. Always overdressing for the wrong occasions."

"Indy, why does the floor move? "

"Snakes ... why'd it have to be snakes?"

"I don't know, I'm making this up as I go."

"It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage."

Like I said, just a great movie, from the first scene in South America to the ending in the government warehouse. Now if I could just find out how to speak Hovitos ...