Movie Nut

I love movies. They're an escape, an escapade; a way to touch laughter and lust; historical and hysterical; a way to lose myself to it, or find a piece of myself in it. I suspect that's why people who love movies get into the business. Some early footage of George Lucas shows his work and the passion he had for it. Some might say (I'd like to remain on the fence for this one) that American Graffiti was George Lucas' most enduring and most truthful piece, and we all know it was one of his first. (Some nights when I write, I feel a little like Steve Martin - I'm a ramblin, ramblin. . . )

So, come on, you movie freaks! Give me your thoughts!

I'm a huge Star Wars fan - Episodes IV, V and VI. I'll have to vote for Episode V, since it is the one in which Han Solo get a little dirty and lippy with Princess Leia. Let's be honest - who wouldn't want to get a little lippy with Han Solo? Episodes I, II and III were fine, although I still think casting Hayden Christiansen was a HUGE mistake - he just didn't do it for me.

In about 1990, I went through a 12 to 18 month period during which I watched ALIENS virtually every day. I can still recite the lines verbatim: "We're in some real pretty shit now, man. Game over, man. Game OVER!" "They mostly come out at night, mostly." "He can't make that kind of decision - he's just a grunt. No offense." "None taken." "I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." Bunch of badass marines in space, Newt the first real survivor (wait, it's in the future, but. . .), and Ripley KICKS ASS. Who couldn't watch that movie over and over and over again? I wanted to be tough like Vasquez, a smart aleck like Hudson, and what woman wouldn't want to be stuck in an elevator (being chased by a swarm of Aliens) with Hicks? *I will be forever grateful to my sister Sarah for giving me the ALIEN Superpack for Christmas one year. It's the gift that keeps on giving! THANK YOU, SARAH!*

I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, so the saga of Harry Potter is still very fresh and easily watchable for me. I can sit and watch any of them, and am now beside myself with joy after having seen, just this evening, the commercial for the next Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. While it is true that Daniel Radcliff is charmingly handsome, plays his character to perfection, and frankly now is no longer a minor (so I don't have to feel guilty for this little crush I still have), I am in touch with the ridiculousness of such a thing. (Don't worry - my husband is still my Hunka-Hunka-Burnin'-Love.) I love the idea of magic and witches and wizards, but more specifically, I love the story of good triumphing over evil, and the courage of the human, albeit wizarding world, spirit. GO HARRY!!

All right people - the all time, greatest, no-holds-barred, fat-lady-sings Spielberg TRIUMPH: Goonies! I remember the trailer in the theaters (I worked in a theater at the time, so I was. . . intrigued): Black screen, skull, then only the word "Goonies." I thought it was a pirate movie. No, no, no. . . it was even better. A bunch of kids on an accidental treasure hunt. What genius came up with this idea? Brilliant! "Bullet holes the size of matza balls!" "Mikey, I don't think this is the kind of place you want to go to the bathroom in." "Ruth! Ruth! Ruth! Baby Ruth!" "If you don't get it right, we'll all b-flat." "The octopus was very scary!"

My first memorable exposure to Sean Astin was as Mikey in Goonies. Ten-plus years later, he emerges in another favorite of mine that I just can't pass over if I find it on t.v. while channel-surfing - Rudy. True story - here is a guy people liked but few believed he could ever make of himself what he wanted to make of himself - a Notre Dame football player. He believed it, and tried, and tried, and failed, and tried, and failed, and tried. . . then succeeded. I brought this movie to the classroom in which I worked on "fun Friday" and the kids - middle school, mostly boys, behavior problems, smart alecks, and sometimes little "jerks" - watched it. I'm thinking, "football movie, all the kids around, I'm busy working, no chance I'll cry today!" WRONG. Rudy gets passed over to suit up for the final game he has eligibility to play in, and every football player on the team parades through Coach Parsegian's (I tried to spell it right, I really did) office, vowing to give up his spot just so Rudy can suit out for this one game. The coach tells the team captain, "You're the captain. Act like it." And the captain says, "I believe I am." SEE, I'M TEARING UP JUST THINKING ABOUT IT! OMG, if you haven't seen this movie, you have to see it.

Ladies, let's get estrogen-ized. The BBC's version of Pride and Prejudice, starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. I know it is about ten years old now and didn't get near the American press that Kiera Knightly's recent movie did, but I don't believe there is a true-er (is this a word?) or more visually stunning rendition of this novel. Granted, it's about a five hour commitment, but so is the original Star Wars trilogy. For me, some days chosing between the two is simply a toss up.

These and many other movies are story-telling masterpieces of fun and I can, and do, watch them over and over again. Then there are others, so moving and powerful and emotionally overwhelming that, while I have to own the DVD, I can't commit to watching them too often.

Schindler's List is so believable that it is hard for me to separate the art from the story. I'm tearful and in terrible emotional pain at the end. I love the movie. I love the beauty of the hope that emerges, even through the most desperate of moments. But in watching a truthful telling of a tragic time in history, I find I immerse myself in what I interpret to be the emotion of each scene, and I cry with deep sorrow every time I watch it. Well done, Mr. Spielberg. Well done.

I've only been able to watch Mississippi Burning once. I feel devastated by man's inhumanity toward man. I can't imagine trying to live my life having to break through barriers, watching people hate me with a malice almost too deep to comprehend. The story is again a reality, and when I watched it, I was overwhelmed emotionally and haven't had to courage to watch it since. I suspect that was one of the intended messages of the movie.

The Passion of the Christ. Having been raised a Catholic, attending Catholic schools for 11 years, and attending the mass every year during lent and Easter, I am keenly connected to the story of the passion because it is so much a part of the Catechetical teachings, the curriculum of religious studies. As my spirituality evolves during my (terribly, ghastly, achingly slow!) aging process, my focus is less on Jesus' mission as the Son of God as it is on the sacrifice of one human for another. Our lessons taught us that Jesus was man and God, but my focus during the experience of The Passion of the Christ was very much about Jesus' manhood. A man has anger and fear and pain. What kind of fear and pain does a person go through being whipped and tortured, beaten to an inch from death, then nailed to a cross and humiliated in front of friends, countrymen, adversaries, and his mother? I become immersed in what it could potentially feel like, and I become overwhelmed emotionally. This movie is one of the only movies during which I didn't just cry. I sobbed.

There's lots of other movies I am affected by, or that are simply good fun. I'm sure I've left out some good ones. Tell me a few from your list!!