Favorite movies
To continue my procastratination efforts today (because 4 loads of laundry just sounds... well, workish!), I decided to ponder my favorite movies at the moment. Was inspired by a friend's list, so thought I'd put my own on here. Because I can. That's why. :p
These are numbered only for clarity; the numbers are in no way a ranking.
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- Mate and I saw this on our first "date-that-wasn't-supposed-to-be-a-date"/outing. I love Kate Winslet and was intrigued at the prospect of Jim Carrey doing something serious, so I suggested it and we went. I found the concept intriguing, although I don't think I'd ever want to do it, were it possible. My experiences thus far, for good or for ill, are what have shaped me into who I am today. I'm a firm believer that we're here to learn things and that even the crappy things are gifts in disguise if you can turn them the right way and figure out the gift.
2. Bridget Jones's Diary -- I didn't really care for the book, but I found this movie laugh out loud funny, and I could really identify with a lot of what she went through, as well as some of her quirkier perspectives on things. Although honestly, I'd take Colin Firth over Hugh Grant any day of the week. Was amused by the fact that he played a variation of Mark Darcy in this film, as he was Mr. Darcy in the BBC production of "Pride & Prejudice," with Jennifer Ehle.
3. The Joy Luck Club -- What a great story! Of course, I've always loved the "chick flick" that uses the generational vignettes to tell the story and/or make its point(s) (similarly, "How to Make an American Quilt" with Winona Ryder.) Even when I'm not wowed by the story, I love to "go back in time" that way and see how people lived. I also love to "peek into" another culture. Chinese history is at once both violent and beautiful and I've always been fascinated by it.
4. What Dreams May Come -- Definitely one of my very favorites, I saw this movie for the first time just days after a friend's suicide at a midnight employee screening when I worked at Loews. I sat in the back and just cried. This movie reflects, to a large degree, my own beliefs about life after death and what happens and where we go, and considering that was also the year that Michael died, really came along at the right time for me. Just the tag line from the movie's poster, sends chills up my neck--"After life, there is more."
5. American Beauty -- This movie really brings home the point that things may or may not be as they seem. I used to wonder about people I saw on the street or people I worked with; people I didn't even know, and in my head, I created fantasy lives of how they lived and what they did, etc. Now I know that what you see with people is just the tip of the iceberg (yes, it took me a long time to know this emotionally vs. just knowing it intellectually) and that appearances really can be deceiving. From the wealthy couple I used to babysit for (she left him for her best friend's husband right after her best friend had a miscarriage *and* was diagnosed with AIDS) to my friend's mother, the teetotaler who wouldn't even have champagne at her wedding (but who kept quite a stash of alcohol in the personal liquor cabinet that was her closet), people's lives can be SO vastly different from the public persona(s) they use. It truly boggles my mind that there isn't *more* dysfunction in society.
Hmm. That's my list at the moment because my mind is blanking out on my other fabvorite movies at the moment. That, and a neighbor is having a tree sawed down and it's interrupting my thought processes today. Feh.
I shall away and attempt to nap.
These are numbered only for clarity; the numbers are in no way a ranking.
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- Mate and I saw this on our first "date-that-wasn't-supposed-to-be-a-date"/outing. I love Kate Winslet and was intrigued at the prospect of Jim Carrey doing something serious, so I suggested it and we went. I found the concept intriguing, although I don't think I'd ever want to do it, were it possible. My experiences thus far, for good or for ill, are what have shaped me into who I am today. I'm a firm believer that we're here to learn things and that even the crappy things are gifts in disguise if you can turn them the right way and figure out the gift.
2. Bridget Jones's Diary -- I didn't really care for the book, but I found this movie laugh out loud funny, and I could really identify with a lot of what she went through, as well as some of her quirkier perspectives on things. Although honestly, I'd take Colin Firth over Hugh Grant any day of the week. Was amused by the fact that he played a variation of Mark Darcy in this film, as he was Mr. Darcy in the BBC production of "Pride & Prejudice," with Jennifer Ehle.
3. The Joy Luck Club -- What a great story! Of course, I've always loved the "chick flick" that uses the generational vignettes to tell the story and/or make its point(s) (similarly, "How to Make an American Quilt" with Winona Ryder.) Even when I'm not wowed by the story, I love to "go back in time" that way and see how people lived. I also love to "peek into" another culture. Chinese history is at once both violent and beautiful and I've always been fascinated by it.
4. What Dreams May Come -- Definitely one of my very favorites, I saw this movie for the first time just days after a friend's suicide at a midnight employee screening when I worked at Loews. I sat in the back and just cried. This movie reflects, to a large degree, my own beliefs about life after death and what happens and where we go, and considering that was also the year that Michael died, really came along at the right time for me. Just the tag line from the movie's poster, sends chills up my neck--"After life, there is more."
5. American Beauty -- This movie really brings home the point that things may or may not be as they seem. I used to wonder about people I saw on the street or people I worked with; people I didn't even know, and in my head, I created fantasy lives of how they lived and what they did, etc. Now I know that what you see with people is just the tip of the iceberg (yes, it took me a long time to know this emotionally vs. just knowing it intellectually) and that appearances really can be deceiving. From the wealthy couple I used to babysit for (she left him for her best friend's husband right after her best friend had a miscarriage *and* was diagnosed with AIDS) to my friend's mother, the teetotaler who wouldn't even have champagne at her wedding (but who kept quite a stash of alcohol in the personal liquor cabinet that was her closet), people's lives can be SO vastly different from the public persona(s) they use. It truly boggles my mind that there isn't *more* dysfunction in society.
Hmm. That's my list at the moment because my mind is blanking out on my other fabvorite movies at the moment. That, and a neighbor is having a tree sawed down and it's interrupting my thought processes today. Feh.
I shall away and attempt to nap.