Airplane!

Airplane!: 5 stars

Most pilot characters are human. Some aren’t. The 1980 movie, Airplane! tells the story of a man who has lost his way.

The automatic pilot is, at first glance, an average man. With a broad smile and tuft of brown, plastic hair, he is the backbone for all post-earth hysteria. When two lovers caught in a quarrel cannot steer the plane to safety, it is the automatic pilot who first comes to mind.

His steady and often low-key presence is able to keep the plane adrift during a particularly tumultuous period. Although he seems a perfect companion for the flighty stewardess, the automatic pilot isn’t as normal as she thought.

Battling a possible sex addiction, the automatic pilot insists on blow jobs to fly the plane. Without them, he is completely useless.

Goodfellas

Goodfellas: 5 stars

Tommy Devito used to shine shoes for a living. Now he kills people. Goodfellas demonstrates the life of a lonely, once-belittled man, desperate to be the toughest guy on the block.

While interested in women, his primary behavior is for the benefit of men. He surrounds himself with men. He is closest to men. He will not betray the guy code. Uneasy about his obsession with hyper-masculinity, Tommy simultaneously craves approval, yet fears the power men have to shape his identity.

On a quest powered by homosexual anxiety, he ultimately keeps his space. Tommy’s manhood is no laughing matter.