Hmm. I don't really have "favorite" movies, but I'll do my best. :)
In no particular order:
1. Xanadu: This one ranks up there, as cheesy as it is, because of the Greek mythology: Olivia Newton John as the muse Terpsichore on earth to inspire a musician to follow his dream and open a roller disco. I love both ONJ's music and the group ELO. Plus, Fred Astaire is a bonus. Just a fun memory from my childhood.
2. Jumping Jack Flash: This was my first exposure to Whoopi Goldberg, and I remember laughing so hard when I first saw it. Again, just a memory from my youth that has stuck with me all these years.
3. Clash of the Titans: The story of Perseus and Medusa with Ray Harryhausen's animations. Epic win! Anything with Greek mythology has my undivided attention, and this version (not the modern remake) is definitely one of my all-time favorite movies.
4. Jeffrey: What's not to like: campy gay romantic comedy with Steven Weber, Patrick Stewart, and Michael T. Weiss. Just a silly romp that has it's ups and downs, but it's a fun movie.
5. Superman: THE quintessential superhero movie for me. I remember believing a man could fly when I walked out of the theater. Christopher Reeve IS Superman for me, and I will always remember the night in the Northport theater on Long Island when I saw this. A huge childhood memory that continues to make me smile.
6. Willow: Being a fantasy lover, I can't help but love this sword-and-sorcery flick. This was one of those movies for me that I've watched over and over, and it never gets old for me. I love Warwick Davis and Val Kilmer in this.
7. Mindwalk: This is one of those cerebral films that resonates with me to this day. It's existential, philosophical, and thought-provoking. I don't know many people who have seen it, but those who do really love it.
8. History of the World Part I: Mel Brooks. Do I really have to say anything else? This movie just gets better over the years. I've been a Mel Brooks fan since I can remember, and the musical numbers throughout this movie are terrific ice breakers with new people once we discover we love this movie.
9. Blazing Saddles: See #8. It's one of those movies you really couldn't make today. A Mel Brooks classic. I didn't understand it all when I first saw it as a kid, but over the years, I've grown to love it as a classic comedy.
10. The Lion in Winter: Hilaaarious movie with Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn. Some of the funniest lines I've ever heard: Eleanor (Hepburn): [to her jewelry] I'd hang you from the nipples, but you'd shock the children. This is a smart humor movie for me.
During the age of Olympos, when a vengeful goddess shatters the Sacred Scales, both immortals and humans alike suffer. Apollo, the god of truth, goes from a glorious existence as The Shining One to a victim of Zeus’ wrath, and his journey makes him question his godhood, his role in the cosmos, and his views on humanity. Prophecy and the Fates direct his course, and he must make difficult, yet vital, choices. Millennia pass, and Dan, Aleta, Brandon, and Sarah—four reluctant modern-day heroes gifted by ancient civilizations born of the gods—bound by prophecy, have to choose whether or not to save their world when it could mean they never existed. They must master their new powers while battling against incomprehensible forces from the Underworld and repairing the Sacred Scales, destroyed long ago. With the equilibrium between Order and Chaos unhinged, and the Olympian gods struggling to exist, these four must ally themselves with the United Nations to protect an endangered world, becoming the only group who can fight against metaphysical threats to the Earth, forging Task Force: Gaea. Can mortals succeed where gods cannot go?
David Berger
Boston born, I grew up on Long Island in New York, and have my B.A. in English with a Master's in Secondary Education. I currently teach AP English Literature, IB English, and Creative Writing in Land O' Lakes, FL. My avid appreciation for fantasy fiction came from a childhood love of Greek mythology and comic books, especially Wonder Woman. Stemming from this literary love affair, I published my first novel, Task Force: Gaea—Finding Balance, in February 2012.
In addition to my fantasy writing, I have written poetry, much of which was influenced by my travels abroad, namely to Ireland. My hibernophilia extends not only to a great love of the Emerald Isle itself, but also to the writers who hail from there, namely W. B. Yeats, and I studied this poet in a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship at the National University of Ireland in Galway in 2005.
Additionally, I have traveled to Spain, France, and England—all with trips I have led with students—and hope to show more of my students what the world beyond Florida looks like.
I'm "living the dream," as it were, and I love life—I just hope it loves me in return. I reside in Land O' Lakes, FL with my partner of 13 years, Gavi, and our two cats, Yankel and Shayna.
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