Eddie Murphy, Bruce Willis and Others Invite You to Honor Jerry Bruckheimer, American Master

AFI first announced its plans to honor legendary producer/pyrotechnician Jerry Bruckheimer about a week ago, scheduling a series of some of his most explodey blockbusters around the premiere of his new Prince of Persia. Whatever, right? Well, no: Looking at how the series has shaped up, a trip to the Chinese or El Capitan Theaters is hardly the worst way to plan your evening of May 17.

But why must all the potentially great highlights of the evening compete against each other? Why must Eddie Murphy's introduction to Beverly Hills Cop square off against Bruce Willis and Michael Clarke Duncan's intro to Armageddon? Or wouldn't Tony Scott and Tom Skerritt benefit from presenting Top Gun when they don't have to go up against Nicolas Cage and Justin Bartha introducing National Treasure? (Also: If AFI can get Cage to drop in, why not screen a superior film in Con Air?) Rounding out the five Bruckheimerian repertory entries is Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, where you can ask co-presenters Gore Verbinski and Orlando Bloom their thoughts on just how good a fit Rob Marshall is to direct the next installment. Watch closely for the eye roll!

Anyway, this gets better every day, and really, it's a Flashdance away from a must-attend. I envy you, L.A.

· A Cinematic Celebration of Jerry Bruckheimer [AFI]