They've got a passion for Mel Gibson
So as a bit of an ice-breaker with the students in the Newspaper Editing class that I teach, I asked them to scribble down their All-Time Top 5 movies (apologies to Rob Gordon). Out of these 20 or so students with an average age I'm guessing as 20 or so, I wound up with almost 90 titles.
The clear-cut winner, with four votes, was ... drumroll, please ... 'Braveheart.' Huh?
This is a movie whose popularity has always escaped me. Actually, I did sit through Mel Gibson's audio commentary on his Oscar-winning effort a few months ago, and that was super. I still wasn't in love with the movie, but it is mind-boggling that one guy could have the energy to direct and star in this epic at the same time. Mel looks back on the film with humor and humility, and a bit of amazement that he not just survived the experience but that the world embraced the movie so.
So if someone has any breathtaking tales of how taken they are with this movie, please advise.
Tied for second place with three votes apiece are 'American Beauty,' 'The Big Lebowski' (yes!), 'Chicago' (groan), 'Office Space' (interesting), and 'When Harry Met Sally' (well, there are only four males in the class).
Almost all the movies were from the '80s and '90s ... some are even still in the theaters ('Big Fish,' 'Lost in Translation') ... I think the only movies that are older than the students are would be 'The Godfather' (I & II), 'The Deer Hunter,' 'Pillow Talk,' 'Rebel Without a Cause,' 'The Sound of Music,' 'Star Wars,' and 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.' Someone wrote 'Romeo & Juliet,' but that could be either Leo DiCaprio's version of Franco Zeffirelli's. I'll have to follow-up on that.
The clear-cut winner, with four votes, was ... drumroll, please ... 'Braveheart.' Huh?
This is a movie whose popularity has always escaped me. Actually, I did sit through Mel Gibson's audio commentary on his Oscar-winning effort a few months ago, and that was super. I still wasn't in love with the movie, but it is mind-boggling that one guy could have the energy to direct and star in this epic at the same time. Mel looks back on the film with humor and humility, and a bit of amazement that he not just survived the experience but that the world embraced the movie so.
So if someone has any breathtaking tales of how taken they are with this movie, please advise.
Tied for second place with three votes apiece are 'American Beauty,' 'The Big Lebowski' (yes!), 'Chicago' (groan), 'Office Space' (interesting), and 'When Harry Met Sally' (well, there are only four males in the class).
Almost all the movies were from the '80s and '90s ... some are even still in the theaters ('Big Fish,' 'Lost in Translation') ... I think the only movies that are older than the students are would be 'The Godfather' (I & II), 'The Deer Hunter,' 'Pillow Talk,' 'Rebel Without a Cause,' 'The Sound of Music,' 'Star Wars,' and 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.' Someone wrote 'Romeo & Juliet,' but that could be either Leo DiCaprio's version of Franco Zeffirelli's. I'll have to follow-up on that.