It’s Labor Day, our annual end-of-summer observance in which we honor the nation’s hard-working men and women by … well, not working.
While you’re waiting for the grill to heat up, here’s our own tribute to the working week, starting with …
Ten great movies about work: Salon.com has compiled an interesting collection of “movies that really understand work.” Topping the list?
You read that right.
“Ridley Scott’s 1979 shocker isn’t just a haunted house movie set in space,” writes Salon. “Instead, it’s a cautionary tale about what happens when employees of a major corporation fail to trust that little voice inside of them that says, ‘Something is wrong,’ and decide to do as they’re told. … You end up flat on your back in an operating room with a giant lobster creature on your face and a razor-toothed eel gestating in your belly.”
OK, I’m sold.
My only beef with Salon’s list: “Falling Down” didn’t make the cut. Michael Douglas has the ultimate bad day at work. Rent it — you’ll feel better about your own job.
Top songs about work: This one’s a little trickier, considering there are so many to choose from. Heck, you could put together a pretty good list from Bruce Springsteen’s catalog alone.
Likewise, there are dozens of best-of lists to choose from, but I like this one from Yahoo! Music, mainly because it includes “Welcome to the Working Week” and “Working Class Hero.”
What songs and movies make your Labor Day lists? Let us know, then sing along to Todd Rundgren’s day-off anthem.
Happy Labor Day!