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Sunday, November 27, 2011

10 Movies I'm Thankful For

Thanksgiving was a few days ago and blogs are full of gratitude. I'm going to partake in that as well, but just without the sap cause I'm not in the mood. Instead, I'm going to talk about 10 movies I'm thankful for. 10 movies that make my life better (in no particular order).

1. The Muppets

This movie has been occupying a lot of my thoughts lately. It's been out for 3 days and I've seen it twice. Yes, it's just as funny the second time. This movie just makes me so happy. I basically laugh the entire way though it. Jason Segal and Nicholas Stoller did a phenomenal job writing something that could have been done by Jim Henson. The Muppets are long overdue for another movie as well as a resurgence in popularity. Jason Segal gave me a bit of a shock when he said that there is an entire generation of kids growing up who don't know The Muppets. Hopefully with this movie and their new show that will change. 

2. Amelie


Amelie might be my favorite movie of all time. It's quircky, it's charming, it's colorful, it's lovable, it's adorable, and just plain awesome. I'm never in the mood to NOT watch Amelie. I had never seen anything like it when I first watched it and I've never seen anything like it since (although Midnight in Paris is right up there). I fell in platonic love with Audrey Tautou when I saw this movie and few actors have captured my fancy like she did. It's also one of my favorite soundtracks (if not my very favorite). Everything about this movie is unique and just... charming. 

3. Midnight in Paris

This movie takes a close second to Amelie in terms of charm. First time I saw this film I smiled the entire time (and that's not an exaggeration at all). Really, charming is the best word to describe this movie. Owen Wilson is lovable in a way I haven't seen before and the plot line is light and refreshing even though it had the potential to be convoluted. It was just fun to see a time-travel movie that wasn't about time traveling. Rather, it was about people and experiences. If Amelie is my favorite soundtrack, this is again a close second. As of now they haven't released an official soundtrack and I'm having major trouble finding some of the songs to purchase. Hopefully Sony realizes its folly soon. I dare you to watch this movie and not love it. 

4.  Oscar


I just looked this up on Rotten Tomatoes because I realized I had never done that before. My jaw dropped when I saw that it is at 13%. To me, this is the perfect cult comedy. I realize not everyone is going to love it as much as I do, but I don't understand why. It's the only Sylvester Stallone movie I'll ever own because I typically can't handle his lack of acting, but I LOVE him in this. He, Marisa Tomei, and Tim Curry are just plain fantastic in this film. It makes me so sad that this movie isn't loved by everyone.

5. Breakfast at Tiffany's


Hands down, my favorite Audrey Hepburn film. Truman Capote wrote a great story and this movie is a perfect blend of his original idea and a great love story (aka mass appeal). I can't think Audrey Hepburn without Holly Golightly or vice versa. The poster for this movie hangs in my parent's basement (a Christmas present from me a while ago) and a woman in their ward commented on it once saying, "you do realize she was a prostitute, do you?" in a scandalized voice. But she really wasn't. She was a socialite, a society girl, and a carefree woman who just happened to take money from men. She's confused yet happy, and in my opinion, only really became confused after she met Paul Varjak (at least in the movie - the story in the book is quite a bit different). It's a simple boy meets girl story, but it's timeless.

6. Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz/Paul


I can't pick one out of the three of these. Hot Fuzz wouldn't be without Shaun of the Dead, Paul wouldn't be without Hot Fuzz or Shaun of the Dead, and none of them would be without Spaced (TV show so sadly not included in this list. Maybe I should do another blog for TV). Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright are the perfect comedic trio (even though Edgar wasn't involved in Paul - even though it's awesome, it probably would have been better with him) and each one is awesome independently. If I'm in the mood for a comedy, I'm going to be in the mood for one of these three.

7. Thoroughly Modern Millie


Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore, and Charol Channing. 'Nuff said. This is movie is hilarious and is one of the most quotable movies ever. Really. I use "pook" on an almost daily basis cause it's one of my favorite exclamations. One of the first things my good friend Mike said to me when I met him was something about how my ring looked like the ring Mrs. Meirs wears in this movie. I liked him immediately because of that. Anyone who likes this movie is going to be awesome and it's as simple as that. 

8. Pride & Prejudice


I don't watch this nearly as often as I used to (I've discovered other BBC Miniseries like Wives & Daughters, North & South, Cranford, Jane Eyre...) but this is still the movie that I compare any period piece to. I constantly find similarities to this story in just about any chick flick. "He's such a Wickham" is a common phrase, any flawed yet changeable male character is compared to Mr. Darcy, and few female characters measure up to the witty and independent Elizabeth Bennett. On the surface it's the chick flick of all chick flicks, but if you really sit down and pay attention, it really is witty and shows some great character development. 

9. Bridesmaids 


This is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Kristen Wiig is a comedic genius and she wrote this so well. One of my favorite things about this movie is that it goes to show you that a comedy featuring a predominately female cast (or even a single female character that isn't objectified for the benefit of male viewers) can have mass appeal to both men and women of pretty much any age. It debunked the idea that women as good story tellers as men, particularly when it comes to comedy. If you don't think this is a big deal, you're wrong. It totally is. 

10. Birdemic: Shock and Terror


This movie is going down in history as one of the best worst movies of all time. The creator/director cited "The Birds" and "An Inconvenient Truth" as his inspiration. That should give you a small idea of just how horrifically awesome this movie is. In fact, here - go ahead and watch the trailer and judge for yourself. But please, watch this movie with the riff trax. You won't regret it (at least I didn't). Honestly, this has got to be one of the worst movies I've ever seen in my entire life, but I'm so glad it exists (and that they're working on a sequel). 

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