Top Ten x Two and a Half

Now that I've given my bad movie list, it's time for the good ones!  These are some of my favorites.  I tried to put them in some sort of order, but after the first six, it gets really hard to decide.  And, yes, it is a very long list, but I really couldn't whittle it down any more.

1.  It's A Wonderful Life

I love this movie because of George Bailey, the main character.  I love that he sacrifices his own dreams to do the right thing and to help other people.  In this day and age, the message is usually, "Do what makes you happy."  I think there is something to be said for making a personal sacrifice that will help make a difference in other people's lives.  And, of course, in the nd, he sees that his sacrifices have affected the entire town he lives in, and even beyond.

2.  The Princess Bride

I shouldn't even have to explain why this is a favorite.  It has so many great and quotable lines, and is just a lot of fun.

3.  Empire Records

I can't explain why I like this movie, I just do.

4.  The Matrix

Aside from this just being a great movie, I love the parallels to the Christian life that are in it.

5.  Braveheart

If anyone doesn't like this movie, I would say that either they're head is on backwards, or they're Amish.  There just is no other reasonable explanation.

6.  Tombstone

This is a family favorite.  Whenever we all get together, we're quoting it left and right.  Doc Holiday is probably the best movie character of all time.

7.  Pride and Prejudice (the old version)

So many good things to say!  Yes, the actors are not as beautiful as the new version, but that is totally made up for in other ways.  This version has all the good parts in it, Colin Firth is an excellent Mr. Darcy, and Elizabeth isn't so...twitchy.

8.  The Mirror Has Two Faces

This movie is a bit of a backward love story since the couple gets married first and then falls in love.  I like it because of the process they go through.  The husband is a man who has a problem with women.  He dates women he is sexually attracted to, but has no other connection with them, even though connection is what he longs for.  Meanwhile, the wife has gone through life overshadowed by the beauty of her mother and sister and only gets dates with men she's not really interested in.  When the two finally meet, it's because the man has decided to marry someone he isn't physically attracted to, certain that is the only way he will find true companionship.  What's wonderful is watching him fall in love with who she is, and how it makes her attractive to him in a way that goes beyond mere physical appearances.

9.  Good Will Hunting

In spite of having A LOT of bad language, this is just a really good movie.

10. Oceans 11 & 12

These movies are just a lot of fun.  I love all the different characters with all their own little quirks and specialties.

11.  The Man Who Knew Too Little

I find the idea of a man doing secret agent stuff without knowing what he's doing to be hilarious.  It's ridiculous, but great.

12.  Rat Race

So funny!  In this movie, twelve (?) people at a casino win coins which enter them in a race for a million dollars that can be found in a locker at a train station in Silver City, New Mexico.  It seems fairly simple, but the actual getting there for all of them takes some pretty hilarious turns. 

13.  Much Ado About Nothing

This is a very wordy movie, but if you can follow along, it's very funny. 

14.  Inception

I just saw this movie, and it was great!  Some people have said it was confusing, but if you pay attention and follow along, it is phenominal.  I love the idea of the dream world and the layers of the dream.  And then the ending...but I don't want to give anything away.

15.  While You Were Sleeping

This is just an all around great movie.  When it comes to romantic comedies, this is probably the best of them all.  I first saw this movie in the theater with my mom when I was eleven.  I wasn't thrilled about it because I was young enough that I wanted to see a kid movie, not a "mom" movie.  Reluctantly, I agreed, and I am so glad!  My mom and I both loved it and have watched it many times since.  So this movie has more attached to it for me than just being a good movie.  It is something I shared with my mom, and since we live in different states now, it just makes it more special.

16.  Quigley Down Under

If you like westerns, this is a must see.  Even if you don't really like westerns, you will probably like this one.  It takes place in Australia, is very unique, and has some really great lines.

17.  Signs

If you're looking for a typical alien movie, go rent something else.  What I like about this is the story of a man who loses his faith, and then gets it back through very unusual circumstances.  And I love the dry humor throughout the film.

18.  Dan in Real Life

I've already written an entire blog about this movie, so I don't feel the need to say more.

19.  Elizabethtown

This is a very random movie, but I really like it because of that.  Not to mention, the music in it is really good.

20.  Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Epic movie.  What more can I say, except this: the extended version is actually way better than the theatrical version.

21.  Gladiator

Just an all around good movie.  You love the good guy, you hate the bad guy, and have a good time watching along the way.

22.  10 Things I Hate About You

When I was a teenager, my friends and I would watch this movie almost every time we spent the night at each others' houses.  There is something about this movie that is just really great.  My mom even likes it!

23.  The Painted Veil

I love this movie.  It is about a man and woman who get married for different reasons.  He loves her, but she just wants to escape the life she had.  Things take an unexpected turn when her doctor husband takes her to China with him.  While there, she has an affair with another man, and as a result, her husband taskes her deep into China to a small village where he works in a hospital tryign to stem a cholera epidemic.  Away from everything she has known and loved, she is forced to see things differently, including her husband, and she comes to fall in love with him.  It's beautiful to see a marriage that was dead come to life.

24.  Catch Me If You Can

This is just a great movie.  Leonardo DiCaprio is so good in this.

25.  Jerry Maguire

Are you seeing a pattern here?  I like movies where married people fall in love!  It is the saddest thing to me when a marriage falls apart.  It truly grieves my heart.  So I love to watch a movie where a marriage comes together instead, like this one.  Also, I love Cuba Gooding Jr. in this movie!  He adds a lot of life to it.

Well, if you have managed to stick with me all the way to the end of this list, I commend you!  It was a long list, and I apologize.  I honestly tried to shorten it, and I just couldn't.  While I was writing this I thought of several other movies I also love, but I mercifully didn't add them:)  Hopefully you enjoyed reading about some of my favorites.

Bottom 10

A friend of mine seems to think I like every movie I see, so I have been inspired to compile a list of the ones I don't like and why.  Keep in mind these are just my opinions....

1.  Seven

Usually, for me, a movie with Brad Pitt is a good thing, but this movie about a serial killer was too graphic and gruesome for me.  It's number one on the list on purpose because I don't ever want to see it again.

2.  You Don't Mess With the Zohan

I didn't even have to watch the entire movie to know how horrible it was.  The whole thing was just really offensive and stupid.

3.  Anchorman

My apologies to those who love this movie, but I actually thought it was pretty stupid.  I wouldn't have even watched the entire movie except we were with some friends who loved it and I didn't want to hurt their feelings.

4.  Pride and Prejudice (with Keira Knightly)

I'm just partial to the old version.  This version felt too fast paced, it was missing some of my favorite parts, I didn't really like Keira Knighlty as Elizabeth Bennett, except for her looks, and the guy playing Mr. Darcy was a stick in the mud compared to Colin Firth.  I give it points for good cinematography and better looking actors, but even so, I like the old version better.

5.  Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

This was one of those movie where all the good parts were in the previews and the actual movie fell flat.  Blah.

6.  Catch and Release

I tried to like it because of Jennifer Garner, but I just couldn't.  It's one of those movies that I would watch if I turned on the TV and it happened to be on, but I definitely wouldn't buy it or rent it or even get it from the library.

7.  Losers

Didn't even make it through the whole movie.  It was a little too overdone.

8.  Scream, Scream 2, and Scream 3

For whatever reason, most likely pure curiosity, I watched all three of the Scream movies.  And I distinctly remember after every one thinking, "Why did I just watch that?"

9.  Jersey Girl

I'm sure it sounded good at the time, but it wasn't.

10.  The Hangover

This movie is a perfect example of why it may seem that I like every movie.  I know that a lot of people liked this movie.  A lot of people thought it was hilarious, the most hilarious movie they've ever seen.  Admittedly, there were some very funny parts to this movie, and I didn't hate it.  I might even watch it again someday.  But I didn't love it.  If I'm talking to someone that is enthusiastic about it, I'm not going to go out of my way to say I didn't like it that much.  They think it's funny, I thought it was funny, we can agree on that.  Sometimes it is just not worth hurting someone's feelings or getting into a debate over.  But the truth is, this movie is (obviously) not on my favorite list.

11. War of the Worlds
Nothing against Tom Cruise or Dakota Fanning, I just didn't like it.

12.  The Happening
Usually I am a huge M. Night Shyamalan fan, but not this time.  I thought it was a ridiculous idea, and I didn't enjoy sitting through two hours of people freakishly committing suicide.

13.  Planet of the Apes
The old version of this movie just really creeps me out.  When I think about it, I kind of have to shudder.  Comparatively, the new version at least isn't so creepy.  But I don't really like either one.

14.  Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
I really liked the first movie The Curse of the Black Pearl, but the second one started to go down hill, and the third was just hanging on to the other two, without any real value of it's own.

15.  Star Wars: Episode II
Episode I and Episode III were not that great either, but I particularly disliked this one.  There were some parts in this one that were truly outstanding in the "cheesy" department.

I think that should be enough for now.  I've seen a lot of movies in my lifetime because I'm a movie person and my family growing up was a movie family.  Some of those movies were great movies, some were just okay, and some I didn't like at all.  I could probably sit here all night trying to remember all the movies I've seen and all the ones I disliked, but honestly, some of them are not even worth remembering.    

Smuggler

So, I have a confession.  I am a smuggler.  And I am proud of being a smuggler.

What do I smuggle you ask?  Food.  I smuggle food into the movie theater.  And on Friday night, I achieved what I consider my greatest feat of smuggling yet.

Friday night I had a little girls night out.  I met my sister-in-law to shop for matching outfits for all of our boys, but she had to go home right after.  Since I had the most horrendous week, Aaron said to go ahead and just have a night to myself.  In fact he encouraged it.  

I decided to go see the movie Letters to Juliet, which started at 7:25 pm.  When I left Target, it was about 7:15.  I really wanted to go, but I also hadn't eaten dinner yet and I knew I couldn't wait 'til after the movie.  Since I wasn't about to pay the exorbitant prices for movie theater food, I opted to get Del Taco and smuggle it in.  

I have a big purse, so the food is not a problem.  The drink was the tricky part.  If I would have had more time, I would have gone and bought a bottled drink somewhere.  Instead, I tried my hand at smuggling it in a regular cup with a lid on it.  I am happy to report that it worked.  I successfully got the drink into the theater, without it spilling all over the inside of my purse!  

I feel that this opens a whole new world of possibilities for me when it comes to eating at the movies.  At least until they start searching everyone's bags, which I am sure will happen somewhere in the future.  Then I will have to find other ways to sneak the food.  That's right, I am a dedicated smuggler.  I won't give up easily.  

I am sure there are people who would view my smuggling as being wrong, but I view myself as a sort of Robin Hood, fighting against an unjust system that robs the people of their right to eat cheap food.  You know, it's an act of protest, sort of like those people who tie themselves to trees they don't want to be cut down. 

(Oh, and as a side note, I absolutely loved the movie.)

Seven (But Not the Deadly Sins)

In honor of my niece, Mackenzie, here are seven things you may or may not know about me.

1.  I have an extreme capacity for not getting tired of things.  I will get obsessed with something, like a TV show or a book series, and I will watch it or read it until there is nothing more to watch or read, and I won't get sick of it.  I could probably sit and watch endless hours of a TV marathon and be perfectly happy.  At the end, I will be sad there isn't more, and sad that I now have to find something else equally interesting.  When I finally read the Harry Potter series (with skepticism) and discovered how good the books were, and I read them non-stop.  Then I read The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which is connected.  Then I also watched all the movies.  Then I read Looking for God in Harry Potter.  I pretty much exhausted the resources.  When I was in kindergarden, I loved the John Wayne movie Rio Lobo.  For a long time I watched it every day after school, until I finally had the whole thing memorized.  I really get a lot of enjoyment out of having a good obsession now and then.

2.  When I was twelve, I thought it sounded like fun to run away from home.  I was very practical about it and planned that I would need to save about $3000 and I was going to wait til I was around sixteen years old.  I am not entirely sure what my thinking was behind wanting to do that.  I guess I thought it sounded nice to just leave, you know, just go wherever I wanted, without having a plan.  Then, of course, I planned it all out and that must have taken all the fun out of it for me because obviously I never did it.


3.  When I was sixteen I went on a mission trip to Toronto, Canada to reach out to the homeless.  The first day we were there we all went to exchange our money and then walked around downtown a bit.  My friend Scott and I decided to go up on this walkway and see if there were any homeless people up there.  I told my friend Angie where we were going, but when we came back down our group was nowhere in sight.  We were completely and utterly lost in this huge foreign city (I say foreign because we had never been there before, not because it was in Canada--even though Canada technically is foreign, I guess).  We tried asking a few people for directions, but no one seemed to have heard of the Neill-Wycik, where we were staying.  Fortunately for us, there were a bunch of moose statues all around the city, and we basically followed the ones we recognized to get back to where we needed to be.  It was really hot, and we were so hungry, and probably a little scared.  The crazy thing is that when we got back, no one seemed to have noticed that we were gone--not even Angie!


4.  The first year I was at Christ For the Nations they had a big ice storm.  The school is in Dallas, Texas.  Dallas is usually very hot, and in the winter it might get a little snow, but an ice storm was quite out of the ordinary.  Everything was covered in ice, the grass, the trees, the roads, the sidewalks...and the concrete slanting down from the freeway to the off-ramp.  It was probablly the most reckless and dangerous thing I've ever done, but some friends and I went sledding down it.  It really didn't seem dangerous at the time, because, as I mentioned, snow and ice were oddities in Dallas, which means that the drivers were all terrified, and there were only a few people even out driving.  The ones that were out braving the cold and ice were driving so slow that a turtle could have started crossing the road when a car got off onto the ramp, and safely get all the way to the other side before the car ever got there.  Still, it's the kind of thing most parents would not want their child doing, even if their child is nineteen years old.  Later, after Aaron and I were together, I found out that he had driven past us on the way to work and thought something along the lines of "Look at those idiots!" 


5.  After watching a comedy video of Anita Renfroe talking about how her grandma kept all the stuff she needed in her bra instead of a purse, I am semi-seriously considering going this route.  Without a purse, I'd have one less thing to carry, I wouldn't have to spend money on a new one, and everything I need would be close at hand all the time.  Not to mention, I'd get to see the looks on people's faces when I pull money out of my bra.


6.  If I ask people for money, they usually give it to me.  Not a lot of money, but small amounts.  In sixth grade I bought a snickers bar every day after school from the concession stand and if I didn't have the money, I would ask for it from someone else.  In eighth grade I would ask the school principal sometimes for quarters so I could get a drink out of the pop machine and he would usually give them to me.  So I guess that makes me a bum.  But a successful one :)  Now that I've written this people will probably never give me money anymore.  There's something to be said for not giving away all your secrets.


7.  I love sarcasm and wordplay, and just words in general.  I even like cheesy puns that have a double meaning, like this one, "I've been to the dentist a thousand time so I know the drill."  My most favorite movies are ones that have great lines you can quote.  I love the show House because of his sarcasm, even though I know if someone actually said to me the things he says I would hate it.  But it's funny because it's happening to someone else.  I love the silly wordy humor of Mad Libs, and I love Scrabble and crossword puzzles (just not the really hard ones!) and I like the way words sound sometimes, like "cruciverbalist" (which means "a designer or aficionado of crossword puzzles").

Date Night

Last night we had a date night.  We went to dinner and actually got to see a movie for a change.  We went to Palomino for dinner, mostly because it is the one place you rarely have to wait long to get a table.  Don't get me wrong, we like the food, but we go there so much with the kids (they eat free on Monday night!), that to us it feels more like a family place than a date place. 

Usually, we eat dinner and then are tired and don't want to wait until 9:30 to see a movie because we know that means we won't get home until midnight and the kids will be up quite early, and it's just not worth it.  Last night though, the stars aligned or something (ha ha) and it actually worked out. 

What movie, you ask?  Date Night of course!  In case you haven't heard of it, it has Steve Carrell and Tina Fey in it, and they play Phil and Claire Foster, a married couple who, stuck in a rut, decided to try something different for their date night.  They go to a nice restaurant in New York, but can't get a table.  So, when "Tripplehorn, party of two" doesn't show, they take their reservation and pretend that they are the Tripplehorns.  Unfortunately, the real Tripplehorns were involved in some shady dealings, and the Fosters are now involved too, since the bad guys think that they really are the Tripplehorns. 

Much chaos and hilarity ensues from that point.  The whole movie is pretty hilarious.  I can't really remember when I laughed so hard through an entire movie.  There is a lot of sexual innuendo, although I have to say that since I've been married that doesn't bother me as much.  And there is a scene at a strip club, whch doesn't show nudity (it is PG-13 after all) but obviously has a lot of scantily clad ladies and sexual implications.  I think for an adult, it would be fine, but for teenagers, maybe you'd want to wait til it comes out on video and can skip the strip club part.

We had a really great time, and when I got home my face hurt from laughing so much. 

Joy and Pain

Last weekend I spent most of my time sleeping or on the couch watching movies while I recovered from having my wisdom teeth removed.  In a weird way, I had been somewhat looking forward to that time because it seemed like a great chance to sleep and catch up on all the movies I can't find time to watch.  I have to say though, that it really wasn't all that exciting.  Not because it fell short of my expectations though.  The dentist had prescribed some pain killers for me, which I made sure to take.  As a result, I didn't feel too much pain.  But I also didn't feel much of anything else either.  By numbing myself to the pain, I was also numbed to joy, even the simplest enjoyment, like watching a good movie.  A couple of the movies I watched were old favorites I hadn't seen in a long time, yet I felt zero emotion while watching them. 

Now, by no means would I recommend not taking pain killers after having your wisdom teeth out just so you can experience joy (which, you wouldn't because your face would be killing you).  Although after a day or two I did switch to just taking ibuprofen because I didn't like how the stronger stuff made me feel (or not feel, however you want to look at it). 

I find it interesting though, in how this proves true in other areas of life.  Often when we get hurt, we don't want to feel it.  We want to be happy all the time.  We want to numb the pain.  Sometimes people will put a guard on their hearts.  They withdraw, thinking that it is better not to go through all of the anguish.  But, as I found out, when you are numb to pain, you are numb to other things as well.  The pain we experience makes joy all the sweeter when it comes.

P.S.  On a slight side note, though I am doing well recovering, my jaw and teeth (or lack of teeth) hurt more at night and the muscles get a little stiff.  Because of that, and because I am extremely tired, I am not entirely sure if what I just wrote made any sense.  So, if it doesn't, I'm sorry.  Hopefully, you get my point anyway.

Choose

I recently watched the movie Keeping the Faith.  The basic story is that a priest and a rabbi both fall in love with a girl from their childhood.  Obviously, priests don't get married, so falling in love was a real problem for the character in the movie.  He talks to a friend and mentor, a fellow priest, about his doubts.  He wonders what it means that he fell in love with a woman when he made a vow to God to remain single.  He wonders if he is really committed to being a priest.  He questions what he has always believed to be his calling.  The older priest reassures him.  He tells him that in the forty years he has been a priest, he has fallen in love probably once a decade.  Not to say that he acted on those feelings, but he had them all the same, and the potential was there.  He then makes a statement, which I thought to be profound, "You cannot make a real commitment unless you accept that it's a choice you keep making again and again and again."  I was struck by this nugget of truth embedded in a movie that, to be honest, managed to poorly represent both Judaism and Catholicism (just my opinion, of course). 

The old priest was speaking of a commitment to God, but I think it really applies to any commitment, and especially that of marriage.  It seems to me that in this day and age people are quick to make promises, but not so quick to keep them.  They say "forever", but they mean "for now." 

Let me just say that I am quite a romantic.  I love love stories.  I love the idea of having a soulmate and "true love" and all of that.  I love fairy tales.  But I also know that while love may initially begin with feelings, it continues with choice.  Many people don't realize they're choosing, but they are.  In the beginning it is easy to choose because all those new butterfly feelings of love and infatuation are there as a buffer against bad things.  As you go along though, life sort of beats that out of you, and you have to fight for those feelings.  You have to choose first and then feel, instead of the other way around.

I have always felt very strongly about marriage being a lifelong commitment.  Not temporary.  Not as long as I feel like it.  I made a promise and I intend to keep it.  Promises don't seem to mean much these days.  Promises are used as fancy words said to make other people feel good.  Then as soon as that promise becomes inconvenient, it suddenly becomes okay to break it.  After all, you have to do what makes you happy, right?  Wouldn't want to have to make a sacrifice for someone else.  Certainly not.  Wouldn't want to have to do anything that might require you to die to self (haven't I heard that somewhere before?)

So, bottom line:  choose.  Choose to keep your promises.  Choose to do what's right over what's convenient. 

Oh, and P.S. if you are reading this and having trouble in your marriage, for heaven's sake fight for it!  Don't just give up.  Just because it is hard doesn't mean it isn't worth it. The most valuable things, the things most worth having, are always the most costly to us.

Blog Post

"I would even call to say I'm not calling."

That's about how I feel right now.  I can't quite think of a good blog, so I feel like I'm writing this to say I'm not writing.

It's a line from the movie Dan in Real Life, by the way.  I would have to say that it's becoming one of my favorite movies, because I enjoy it more every time I watch it.  It's one of those movies that whenever it's on, I just can't stop watching, even if I just saw it not that long ago.

I have to wonder what it is that I like so much about it.  It's funny, for one thing.  Steve Carrell is playing a widower with three daughters, one of whom is very melodramatic.  I think it's hilarous when she calls him a "murderer of love" for making her boyfriend go back home after sneaking to see her while they are at a family reunion.

I also like the picture of family that is portrayed.  Family is awkward, and often dysfunctional, but it can also be fun.  I really enjoy watching the parts when the whole family is having a crossword puzzle race, and when they have the talent show together.  I like seeing the comraderie between them, probably because that what I hope to see among my children someday.  I hope we can do those kind of things. 

Another part I like is at the very end, when Dan (a newspaper columnist) writes to his readers that they should "plan to be surprised", which I think is very good advice.  Life doesn't always go they way we expect it to, but that isn't a bad thing necessarily.  Sometimes what we get is better than what we thought we wanted.

If you haven't seen it, go see it!  If you have seen it, go see it again!  If you saw it and you didn't think it was that great because you were thinking Steve Carrell would be playing a character like Michael of The Office, give it another shot.  I guarantee, it will be better the second time around.