Top 5 Taxi Drivers in Film

Well, as I told you last week, I got a new job recently. This is the big reveal (for those of you who didn't hear about it already). I'm working at Yellow Cab, mostly because you can make your own hours, take days off or weeks off when need be, and I reckon one can meet lots of interesting characters, like these guys, who famously drove cabs in movies.

5. Jim Varney as Ernest P. Worrell in Ernest Saves Christmas

Confession: Ernest P. Worrell is a guilty pleasure of mine, which is why he beat several contenders for the last spot on this list. Yeah, Ernest movies are corny, cheaply produced and reuse many jokes. But the character of Ernest has a sweetness and innocence to him which is missing in today's comedies, and that should count for something. Plus, his version of "O Christmas Tree" is a holiday classic.




4. Robert Duvall as Weisberg in Bullitt



This movie came out right before Duvall's career exploded in the seventies, with major roles in such films as The Godfather parts 1 and 2, True Grit, Apocalypse Now, and Network. So this character is special because it was one of Duvall's last small roles before he made it big. Of course, now he does nothing BUT small roles, so the cycle is complete, I guess.



3. Jamie Foxx as Max in Collateral


Michael Mann directed this tense thriller about a cabbie who is taken hostage by a hitman and forced to drive him around as he kills several targets. Something like this probably actually happened, but I really don't want to know anymore.


2. Frank Faylen as Ernie in It's a Wonderful Life




Had to include this because it is one of my all time favorite movies. Ernie has a dual role, first as the friendly small-town cabbie who knows where everyone lives and probably gives rides for free, then as a more hard boiled, down on his luck taxi driver in the reality without George Bailey.


Speaking of hard boiled...

1. Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver



Honestly this one shouldn't require an explanation. Just know it is an awesome movie about a taxi driver who turns into a vigilante after witnessing the crumbling of society through his taxi windows.




Honorable mentions: Peter Falk in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Bruce Willis in The Fifth Element

Olympus PEN Your Short 48 Hour Contest

Well, it was a long crazy weekend but it is finally over! The Vail Film Festival is where I spent much of it and let me tell you, it was a blast. Hanging out at my first real festival (My Bloody Violentine doesn't count), with a laminate and everything, was way cool.

As for the contest, well, our team didn't quite win. We did shoot a really solid film called The Getaway, and had a great chance at victory, but the winning film Running Colors was spectacular, so mad props to those guys.

But the weekend was certainly not a total loss. Team Running Riot (this time featuring Jeffrey Gustafson, Jason Breheny, Anthony LaRocca, and my girlfriend Stephanie filling in for Steve Valdeck) made a neat little film that I hope you will all enjoy, and we once again improved on our techniques and are already looking forward to our next challenge. The awards ceremony featured a Q&A session with celebrities Josh Lucas, Michael Imperioli, and Kate Bosworth, which was interesting. So all in all, it was a great experience, even without the win.