In what is perhaps the most bizarre news twist of the week, JetBlue flight attendant Stephen Slater left work yesterday in grand fashion. After being harassed by an unruly passenger, Slater got on the plane's public address system, spewed some profanity of his own and disembarked via the aircraft's emergency slide after reportedly grabbing some beer from the galley. Slater was of course arrested for his actions, but as anyone who has worked in a service position knows, this was a downright heroic move. Curious what could have compelled him to cross over from thinking about no long suffering fools to making the conscious choice to stop suffering fools, we took a look at Slater's in-flight movies playlist*. And based on his viewing habits... well... it's no wonder he did what most of us will only ever fantasize doing. Find the picks after the jump.
* - No, we didn't ACTUALLY see his in-flight movie playlist. This is all a joke.
"Fight Club"
David Fincher's "Fight Club," adapted from the book by Chuck Palahniuk, is one of the most highly acclaimed movies about rising up against the system. While overt action against an unsuspecting public doesn't surface until the end of the film, this is a movie that is all about acknowledging the anger and frustration fostered by everyday society and actually doing something about it.
"Taxi Driver"
Poor Travis Bickle. Vietnam sure did a number on him. He's not inherently angry; just sad and lonely. Depressed. When he is finally overwhelmed about the violence of the world around him, he decides to do something about it. Bickle first hatches a plan to assassinate a political figure, but when that goes awry he redirects his rage elsewhere. And he becomes an unwitting hero in the process, a hero who would never have been if not for his dark thoughts and the firearms they led him to buy.
"White Man's Burden"
Harry Belafonte and John Travolta. Wacky cast. "White Man's Burden" is a story of reverse racism; Travolta plays a blue-collar worker who has just lost his family home and his livelihood. This grim turn occurs because he accidentally observes as the wife of the boss -- a wealthy black man (Belafonte) -- gets out of the shower. Desperate, Travolta takes Belafonte hostage. Rather than take a violent turn, the story instead follows the two men as they discuss the situation and, through that lens, the state of race relations.
"Jingle All the Way"
I got a lot of funny looks for adding "Jingle All the Way" to this list. To those naysayers I say: You're crazy. This Arnold Schwarzenegger/Sinbad-starring holiday classic is all about bucking the system. Schwarzenegger is a deadbeat dad who just wants to do right by his son for once. Sinbad is a postal worker with the same goal... and so the two men butt heads in an escalating series of encounters that culminates with a parade, a jetpack and a full-blown superhero/super-villain showdown.
"Falling Down"
"Falling Down" is the keystone for this list. Michael Douglas plays a disgruntled white collar middle manager who has just lost his job. Stuck in L.A. traffic on his way home, Douglas loses it. Good thing he's got A DUFFEL BAG FILLED WITH FIREARMS. In the ensuing calamity, the nerdy-looking badass carves a path of destruction across the city as he works his way to the home of his ex-wife and son. And that's where things get really messed up.
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