watch

I was reading PW today and her "Top Movies" contest got me thinking about movies, and I realized just how much I love them. I seriously love movies. I love epics, love stories, dramas. I do enjoy a good, intelligent romantic comedy.

I wanted to think through my favorite movies - there are several... I can't pick one.

Lord of the Rings - I feel like this one is an obvious choice. I totally went through my LotR nerd phase in college. I remember when I was truly first introduced to the idea of it. I was at a movie with my friend, Elisa, when we saw the first teaser trailer for Fellowship of the Ring. It was a black screen that showed the flaming ring with the words "One ring to rule them all. One ring to find them. One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them." I got chills. My mom read The Hobbit to us growing up, and we saw the cartoons, but the story hadn't made much of an impact on me. I think my age was a factor. Anyways, needless to say I was caught up instantly. I read the trilogy, and the Silmarillion. I read the appendices. I got into it. :) It was a fun phase.



Harry Potter - This was my next big obsession. I read the seventh book in 36 hours. I know people that totally had me beat, but I'm still proud of my accomplishment. Of course, I know now just how much time I had on my hands. :) It's amazing the perspective a child brings to your life.

I really did enjoy this epic series. More than I thought I would. I'm excited to read it to Andrew. I think I'll read each book as it grows with him. I'll start when he's 11 and we'll work through it. I hope reading aloud is a major part of our family life. I enjoyed it in my family, and hope to pass along the tradition.

But, this is about movies! I saw the 4th movie, Goblet of Fire before I read any of the books or saw any of the previous movies. I was hooked. The first one is probably my favorite one, with the 4th and 6th ones being close contenders. The others were ok... but the series itself is so great.

Love Actually - This one is probably a bit more controversial... mainly because of the amount of nudity. :) But, it's one of my most favorite movies of all time. It's feel-good at it's best. The soundtrack is fabulous. I love British humor. I love all of the actors. I love the theme of it.

A&E's Pride and Prejudice - I've landed on this as being my favorite version of this Jane Austen classic. I love the more contemporary, shorter version of it as well, but there's nothing to compare to this 6 hour mini-series. The portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet by Jennifer Ehle is, in my opinion, flawless. Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy? DROOL. Big time.

Almost Famous - I forget about this movie. I forget how truly amazing it is. And then it resurfaces and I'm blown away again by just how fabulous it is. I love how I'm surprised by it's existence and feel like I'm almost enjoying it for the first time again. Music... travelling musicians... people trying to live out their dreams, or just figure them out... Fantastic.

Once - I don't know if I'll watch this movie again... but it was a beautiful experience watching it. The soundtrack is by far my favorite original soundtrack. My friend Danielle brought this over randomly and said (in her very casual way) "Um, have you seen this?"
"No, but I've heard it's good and I've wanted to."
"You haven't seen this?!?" (She's not nearly as animated as me, so when she got all flustered, I knew this was serious business.)
"No! Let's!" (Or something to that effect.)

It was OK, until Glen Hansard belted out his song "Say it to Me Now". I was hooked. Everything from that point on was genius. If you haven't seen it, you should.

Sex and the City 1&2  - I love SATC. Years ago, Adam and I went to NYC with some fun friends of ours, Ryan and Denise. Denise was WAY into SATC. I remember her talking about how much she loved it and how she wanted to do a tour of their filming locations... I thought she was crazy. Until I started watching it. I was hooked.

Yes, it's racy... at best. It's gratuitous. And, it's feminine. It's fashion. It's relationship. It's vulnerability. It's just great. In my opinion!



This was by far one of the most fun posts I have ever written... for me. You should go watch one of these movies. Don't blame me for all of the nudity in some of them though. Don't worry - I cover my eyes too. :)