A Night at the Movies

I'll admit it - I'm not into "film". I like *movies*. Great art isn't necessarily what I'm looking for; I like a rollicking good tale, well told, with appealing characters. I want escapism, for the most part.

Jade's entry on her favorite movies of all time got me thinking... what are mine and why?

Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade - "Dad, I *was* the next man!" What's not to love? I only hope the next one is as good. (Part of it was filmed about 45 minutes away this summer so it's underway!)

Galaxy Quest - Maybe you have to be a Trekker with a good dose of humility to appreciate it but I didn't know I could laugh so hard and NOT bust something!

Apollo 13 - I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up (still do but I'm 40, nearly blind, and fat... chances are diminishing rapidly!) and this story captivated me. Gary Sinise did a great job in this bringing a character to life that could've been easily overlooked.

Stargate - absolutely.

Princess Bride - "It just so happens that your friend here is only *almost* dead." "'Allo, my name is Inigo Montoya, you keel my father, preepare to die!" "Wuv, twoo wuv..."

Say Anything - Yes, it's a bit cheesy, I don't care. It's still a fave.

The Cutting Edge - the same genre but with figure skating! Woohoo!! The look on Moira Kelly's face when she's standing back against the hotel corridor, hungover as all hell, when she realizes she's locked herself out. Ouch.

Ladyhawke - "Truth is, I talk to God all the time and he never said anything about you." A young Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer (mmm!), and a hauntingly beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer.

Star Wars - the first one - um, the first one that came out - not Episode I (*that* was mediocre). Space opera at its finest and with a *great* score.

Million Dollar Baby - Not a huge Clint Eastwood fan but this was a really good movie (Unforgiven was great too). Not sure I'd watch it again, though, I cried too hard the first time.

Pride & Prejudice - the A&E version. Ok, technically, this was a miniseries but I'm counting it here anyway. I've seen several P&P versions but this came the closest to what was in my head in one of my countless re-readings of the Austen classic.

Ghostbusters - "Nobody steps on a church in *my* town!" Again, it's the supporting characters that get me - Harold Ramis and Dan Akroyd are hilarious. And the short little geeky guy.

Top Gun - Yes, it's a pretty mediocre movie but the flying is AWESOME. I saw this 8 times in the theater while I was in college.

Probably the absolute top of the list is Schindler's List. I've watched it only twice because it's so emotionally draining. No, it's not escapism; it's gutwrenching. What capped that movie for me? The end where the survivors are placing stones on Schindler's grave. I sobbed.

Lord of the Rings - take my all time favorite book(s) and turn it into a movie? I've watched the trilogy (the extended DVD versions) close on to 10 times now. I think it made an enormous difference that they filmed them back to back. It's clear that Alan Lee, Peter Jackson, the cast, and me share a vision of what Tolkien was after. Transfixing. Only thing that could surpass it? Make one of the Silmarillion.

What are yours?