E-Mail This Article to a Friend 10 stoner movies BY MIKE MILIARD

Akira (1988) - An anime classic. Post-apocalyptic psychokinetic warfare. Murky atmospherics illuminated here by blinking neon, there by cataclysmic explosions. Speeding motorcycles. Freaky kids. Stilted dialogue dubbed in translation. You'll be nonplussed, you'll be enthralled. Don't watch it on mushrooms.

The Big Lebowski (1998) - Ponytails, beards, and bathrobes. Micturating on rugs. ("It really tied the room together.") White Russians. Weasel-toting nihilists. Bowling. Driving around. The occasional acid flashback. "The Dude abides" - except when he drops a hot roach in his lap.

Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke (1978) - The first. The greatest. Pedro and Anthony up from Tijuana in a van made of high-grade Maui Wowie. "Hey, how am I driving, man?" "I think we're parked." Punk rock. Labrador shit. Stoned cops. Free Tommy Chong! Wait ... what? He's free already? Aw, far out!

"Dark Side of the Rainbow" (1939/1973) When that MGM lion roars three times, roll tape. Did Pink Floyd record Dark Side of the Moon to coincide with The Wizard of Oz? Doubtful. Are there coincidences? Indubitably. A guitar-siren sounds as the tornado nears. "Money" kicks in as Technicolor blooms, and the Lollipop Guild dances in time.

Donnie Darko (2001) From the first ringing notes of "The Killing Moon," the film is an instant classic. A horrifying, hallucinatory rabbit. Tangled cosmological exegeses. Wormholes. Jet engines. Dukakis. Deus ex machina. Smurfs. Love, death, redemption. "Good shit, eh?" "Dude, it's a fucking cigarette."

Fantasia (1940) Ignore the pink elephants, you're smoking, not sousing. But, pay attention to the lumbering dinosaurs, the pastoral nymphs, the demonic colossus, and of course, the exhilarating rollercoaster of its classical score. Truly, Disney was ahead (a head?) of his time.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) Terry Gilliam's kaleidoscopic meltdown of HST's journey through the American nightmare got middling reviews, but as stoner eye candy it's impeccable. And, Depp and Del Toro's crazed-paranoiac performances are top-notch. The groovy soundtrack is gravy. "One toke? You poor fool! Wait till you see those goddamn bats."

Reefer Madness (1936) A timeless chestnut. Hysterical paranoia. Disinformation at its most bald-faced. "Women Cry For It ... Men Die For It!" Don't be like Bill and Mary, but do prepare yourself for some "sudden violent uncontrollable laughter."

Run Lola Run (1998) A head-bending exploration of life's reset button. A tortuous script, whiplash flash-forwards, slice-and-dice editing, evocative film stocks, manic animation. Set to propulsive techno, the heart-racing forward motion is palpable.

Waking Life (2001) "Life understood is life lived." "There's only one instant, and it's right now. And it's eternity." "The idea is to remain in a state of constant departure while always arriving." These cerebral, oneiric musings are only enhanced by the protean rotoscopic dreamworld in which they exist.

What are your favorites? No Airplane!? Drop us a line at get_stoned[a]phx.com!