I was in a sludgy mood last night, which was unfortunate, since I had the night off from rehearsal. Usually this means a movie night out or a robust writing session – but my muscles are sore (this is a physical role – I get beat up while in a straitjacket, if that is hint enough), hot weather like yesterday’s always beats the stuffings out of me, and I just…COULDN’T.
Been having a complicated relationship with movies lately. Don’t know if I can sum that up in a short post, or if it’s even the sort of thing I would put on this public blog (stuff like this is why I keep my filtered private one for friends). But I opted for a cool bath with my borrowed V for Vendetta book and, before I started, I posted a question on Facebook for a lark:
“What movie do you pop in when you want a reminder of why you love movies?”
I think there’s a distinction in this question – not your opinion of the BEST movie ever made, not your FAVORITE movie ever, but one that reliable, consistently, gives you a potent hit of all that stuff you’re hoping for any time you settle in for a movie.
Here’s the thread so far, names redacted for privacy. It’s a diverse crop of people I know – old college professors, fellow writers and actors, friends and acquaintances from high school or college or day jobs, and the exec. producer of one of last year’s Best Picture Oscar nominees. I enjoy learning this little thing about all of them:
L*** H******* A League of Their Own.
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J****** B***** M****** Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
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T*** P**** Jaws
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E*** B*** The Usual Suspects
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J******* B***** Spaceballs. Yes, really…. 馃槈
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Nicholas Thurkettle I now dub this “Spaceballs: The Wall Post”. Carry on, friends. Great stuff so far!
14 hours ago 路 Like
P*** J***** Big Trouble in Little China. “ya know what ‘ole Jack Burton says….”
14 hours ago 路 Like
E**** D*** Fame. The original.
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K**** K*** Immortal Beloved
14 hours ago 路 Like
D**** L* M******* Die Hard (and Big Trouble in Little China) and Sean of the Dead
13 hours ago 路 Like
B**** J* B******* Cliche, maybe, but The Sound of Music…
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T***** V** A****** Die Hard, Close Encounters, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and pretty much anything with John Candy. 馃檪
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B**** A**** Anchorman or Man on Fire
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B**** A**** or Gangs of New York…
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B**** A**** or Dark Knight…
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C******* B**** Empire Strikes Back, Plains, Trains, First 1/2 of Stripes, Unforgiven
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J**** N**** C**** Boogie Knights. Flawless from beginning to its, um end.
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B**** A**** Unforgiven… yes!
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C******* B**** Libowski has to be there
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T***** V** A****** 鈥嶡C******* ~ And there’s John Candy!
12 hours ago 路 Like
C******* B**** 鈥嶡T*****, yep, purty much everything he did, Uncle Buck, Summer Rental, brief cameo in first vacation, Great Outdoors (the ’86’er scene), Spaceballs, and of course Who’s Harry Crumb
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J**** N**** C**** Come to think of it, there is no film entitled Boogie Knights. Although there probably should be.
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J T*** H***** The Graduate, Heartbreak Kid (original), sex, lies & videotape, Crimes & Misdemeanors…
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C********** H**** The Matrix
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A****** S*****-B***** Jaws
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B**** G***** Dog Day Afternoon.
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D**** F***** Main Hoon Na.
8 hours ago 路 Like
D**** F***** or taxi driver
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J*** M E***** Gladiator and Quigley Down Under
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J** L****** G-1 or Young Frankenstein
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H**** V****** The Searchers
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C**** W**** Hmm. Lots of great picks. Tough to choose just one. But, since some of my others have already been mentioned, I’ll go with Blade Runner, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Patton, Alien, Seven Samurai, Casablanca, Larry of Arabia, Miller’s Crossing, Superman (1978), Finding Nemo, Apocalypse Now, Singing in the Rain and Sleeping Beauty.
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C******* B**** The Razor’s Edge starring Bill Murray (don’t know why)