What's Your "Favorite Movie"?

I like to think that I'm a person of discerning taste.  I'm picky about my music, food and friends.  And  I have a pretty high standard for movies; you'll rarely catch me watching crappy horror flicks or some American Pie/Band Camp teen farce.  My Netflix rating history only shows a handful of actual 5 star movies.  But when the summer comes and all our shows' seasons are finished and our DVR queue is cleared (except for all the Palladia concerts!) I find myself at the mercy of the [mostly] crap that the networks decide to air.  So it's always around this time of year when I realize that while I may think that Goodfellas is my favorite movie with all its groundbreaking shots (round the table, through the kitchen) and No Country for Old Men & The English Patient have some of the best storylines, these are not actually the movies I CHOOSE to watch more than once.
So it begs the question, when someone asks you "What's your favorite movie?" what do you go with?  The movies you think are the best made films?  Or the movies that you actually watch, every single time you see them on?  The movies that are the mac & cheese of the cinema---your comfort flicks???  Last weekend I realized that there are two movies that I will watch EVERY time I see them on, no matter what.  I am drawn to them and once they pop up, I am compelled.  They may not have Oscar worthy dialogue or ground breaking cinematography but to me, I'm beginning to think they're the best movies ever made.  I mean, isn't the point of film to entertain us?  My top two keep me engrossed beyond my control.  They are like my movie crack:

• MEAN GIRLS: first of all, I don't think this movie is actually crap.  The screenplay [adapted from a novel by Wiseman] was written by Tina Fey, who is undeniably one of the funniest women on the planet.  It's smart and a lot of its humor goes well over the high-school minds of its central characters.  But at the core of its draw (for me, at least) is that there's a kernel of truth to the overly cliched cliques.  And every girl wanted to be a Regina or a Cady and conversely to see them ultimately get what's coming to them.  
• THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA:  I'm not going to lie.  I'm going to own my girliness right up front.  The clothes in this movie are the star.  The montage with Anne Hathway in a different outfit in every shot is about 85% of the reason I watch this movie.  It's like watching your Barbies come to life.  And again, as Amanda Priestly says, everybody wants to be them.  And everybody who isn't them wants to see them fall.  And every girl likes a makeover scene.  

There are many other movies that I feel this way about.  I'm sure some of them are your "favorites" too:

1. Baz Luhrmann's version of ROMEO & JULIET:  Leo has never looked better.  Claire Danes is the best Juliet.  The hipness of the locales, clothes, dialogue (all of it original Shakespeare, not altered), music (Garbage!  Radiohead! ) and Luhrmann's signature hopped-up cinematography are dazzling.  It's like shiny eye candy.  I think The Bard would enjoy this version the best and I hope they're showing it in high schools to get kids interested in Shakespeare.  This is how cool it can be. 
2. MOULIN ROUGE:  for all the same reasons.  Luhrmann brought all of that to an actual musical and it's breathtaking.  Nicole Kidman is other-worldly and who knew Ewan McGregor could sing?  Plus the whole message is:  "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return"
3. CHICAGO:  sticking with the musical theme.  Chicago took a Broadway show and turned into a legit movie.  It's slick, it's pretty but gritty, it's got a great story and it intersperses some big production numbers (Richard Gere's Razzle Dazzle) with sublimely understated ones (John C. Reilly's Mister Cellophane). Maybe one of my favorite movies that ever won an Oscar.
4. SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE: Joseph Fiennes...as Shakespeare.  I think Shakespeare's words are unbelievably sexy.  But when you have them actually coming out of a hot, hot guy who's also mushy and sensitive and dramatic?  That's delightful.  Plus the story is fun and while it doesn't have the technical happy ending, it feels like a Shakespearean tale.  I could do without Gwyneth as a boy though.  
5. SWINGERS/WEDDING CRASHERS: Vince Vaughn is a funny dude.  So funny that I would like to make him mad just so he'd start telling me off.  Yeah, yeah...the stories are hysterical.  The dialogue's slick.  Swingers' referencing of Tarantino is hip and inspired.  But Vince Vaughn is a funny dude and these two movies are his perfect platforms.  Vegas, baby!       
6. PRIDE & PREJUDICE/CLUELESS: these movies might seem to have very little in common.  One involves people speaking in proper British accents and wearing period clothes and the other involves Alicia Silverstone saying, "as if" a lot.  But, technically they were both written by Jane Austen.  Pride and Prejudice (either the Keira Knightly or Colin Firth versions) is directly adapted from her novel and Clueless is a modern version of Emma.  They both have misunderstandings, tales of romance and true love, and strikingly modern female heroines.  
7. PLEASANTVILLE:  I love the premise of this movie and I love the way it was filmed.  It's funny, it's heartbreaking and it's completely compelling.  This is why I love Reese Witherspoon.  And because such a main point of the story is the color and cinematography, it's breathtaking to watch the transformation.  Such a great cast and soundtrack too.  This one, for me, just isn't on enough.
8. EMPIRE RECORDS:  AJ!  Damn the Man!  Warren!  oh my gosh, I love this movie.  I worked at a record store and this is so nostalgic for me.  I like to think we were actually this cool.  We used to have vetoes on which songs would go up on the store music and lots of love triangles.  But our spot wasn't nearly as cool as the Empire Records building.  I would've done anything to save that too.  And has there been a better soundtrack? Gin Blossoms, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Evan Dando, Better than Ezra, Dishwalla, Sponge, Dire Straits and even some Jimi Hendrix.  

There are some honorable mentions that I love, just maybe not enough to watch every time they're on:  OFFICE SPACE ("I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it would be!"), THE NOTEBOOK (I would probably watch this more except that I break down and bawl like I just lost a family member every time I watch it.  But seriously, could Ryan Gosling be more perfect than this movie?), pretty much every John Hughes/Molly Ringwald movie, FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF, ST. ELMO'S FIRE, BILL & TED'S, SPEED, DEMOLITION MAN

The Hunger Games Trilogy

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I finished these books in record time thanks to the long holiday weekend and Collins' amazing pacing. While providing every detail necessary to draw you into Katniss' world, the speed of the events of these three books is breathless. I'm actually finding myself excited for the movies because they would have to try really hard to mess this up. It has everything from larger than life characters, action, worlds exploding, good and evil, cool gadgets and mystery. I am anxious though to see how they play out the core of what this book was to me. Without spoiling anything for anyone who hasn't read it yet, the "love triangle" goes on in a completely new way and it's telling what its process and resolution means to everyone involved.


For me there was only one way this story could end and I'm so glad that's where she took it. By the last chapter I was sobbing hysterically and reading really slowly because I just didn't want to leave these characters. It's so rare that one book comes along that makes you leave your life behind for hours on end and get transported to another place wholeheartedly and become completely invested in a make-believe world. Even more rare that there are three that are equally as compelling.




View all my reviews

I'm With the Band

I don't know any girl who doesn't love a musician.  Even someone you'd barely give a glance to walking down the street turns into an object of fascination behind a guitar, or drums or rockin a mic.  There's a confidence that has to come from putting your talents on display and you have to assume that someone that can master the intricacies of music would be more attentive to things, you in particular.  Music is every part of my day, nay life.  The first tape I remember buying myself was INXS and listening over and over to Michael Hutchence croon that "they will never, ever tear us apart."  (what a loss to the music world).  My favorite job ever was working at a record store in college (we didn't even really sell records but every time I watch Empire Records I'm keenly nostalgic).  & it was there after opening up a promo CD with 4 or 5 songs no one had ever heard of that I first fell in love.  Song #3 might have been "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and I remember going back to it later but the last song was "Alive" by Pearl Jam and then I fell hard.  Eddie Vedder's scratchy yet smooth voice was weary and yet eager for me to understand the pain of this kid.  That changed everything for me.  Pop music would never be enough.  And musicians could influence a generation.  I spend almost every waking moment with a song in my head, on my computer, playing on my iPod while I cook or clean or run or eat.  I watch videos (when I can find them) and concerts (thank God for Palladia).  But I'm not a casual listener.  Music is not background for me so I can't listen and type or work.  Because when it's on, I listen.  
So when I ventured back into the world of dating again it's not surprising that I found actual love belting out some serious rock in a Ft. Lauderdale bar (Fat Cats shoutout!).  What was supposed to never work out (a girl you meet at your show doesn't usually lead to an 8 year relationship with a house and 6 animals, does it?) turned out to be the best thing to happen in my life.  And I got to be a part of music from a very different angle.  Musicians are cool and rocking out on stage is fun.  But there's so much more that goes into it.  They work hard and rehearse tirelessly to make sure they're gonna have a good show.  They have to spend hours visiting bars and venues to promote themselves and get gigs.  They suffer disappointments when a place doesn't call back or cancels a show.  They watch other bands, other musicians (sometimes much less talented) advance and get the shows they know they could rock.  They agonize over set lists and timing and harmonies and segues.  And then they get a show and they get up on stage and the place is empty.  Or the people are more interested in their pool game than listening.  Or worse, they're shouting to keep their conversation up over the music.  

But if the band is good enough, the people who are there are cool enough and the night is just right, live music can bring a whole place together.  I have danced with people I probably wouldn't meet in real life.  I have mouthed lyrics with big bouncers most people would side step.  And I have watched these musicians' reasons for doing what they love come to fruition.  Most of them may not get record deals or play to packed stadiums.  But they just might rock your Saturday night.  And they just might make you fall in love, even if it's just for a song.  So tonight I'll be rocking out at Mt. Lookout Tavern with The Touchables.  Which local band will you be supporting??? 

The Future is Now

Hi Delicious-

I just watched Blade Runner on my Netflix Watch it Now movies.  How is it that a cinephile like me has not seen this movie before???  It has made its way into my Top Ten (although I don't know who I'm kicking out). 

I've never been much of a Harrison Ford fan although I am a great fan of a lot of movies he's starred in.  Blade Runner is no exception.  Harrison's narration is cheesy and overacted but given that it's basically a film noir set in the future, maybe that was the intention.  And that's my only criticism cuz this film was narratively and stylistically compelling. 

Anyone else creeped out that it's set less than a decade from now?  Filmed back in 1982 I suppose the year 2019 sounded like a long way off and it seems everyone thought we'd have the flying cars and human "Replicants".  I also am pretty sure this is where Robert Zemeckis got his Back to the Future 2 version of 2015 (yikes, I must be getting old if the horrible future everyone envisioned in my childhood movies will soon be upon me...I suppose that's fodder for a whole other blog post!).

What I enjoyed most about Blade Runner was its melange of styles that effortlessly seemed to create a new one.  Film noir meets robots, 40's Girl Friday meets action film and Victorian Opium Den meets Japanese street fare.  Rutger Hauer was brilliant and managed to be an emotional stoic.  Darryl Hannah truly looked and acted other worldly and Sean Young's Rachel (below, right) was a perfect iteration of Clare Trevor (left, 1940's film noir star) in the 20th century.

I see now why this film is endlessly referenced in fashion and futuristic design.  Ridley Scott is a genius we should all be a little afraid of.

Stuff I Was Able to Catch up On (SPOILER ALERT!)

The other thing about a DVR is I actually have no idea when shows are regularly aired so the timing on these are all over the place but I call 'em when I see 'em:

UGLY BETTY is back for it's fourth season and it's such a guilty pleasure.  I only started watching it last year but I'm so hooked...it has all the right ingredients:  kitsch, New York City, heart, fashion, diabolical divas and fabulousness!  While 2 hours of most shows is a little much, it's nice to see Betty moving on up in the world.

PROJECT RUNWAY for me this season is a big yawn.  Heidi's still there with her tallness and Tim Gunn's still got his deadpan wit and charm but the contestants are boring and so are their designs!  I have to say I'm routing for Ohioan Althea who's from Dayton...besides being a hometown girl she's been the most consistent and one of the freshest.  The designers' portfolios over at Lifetime are actually kinda cool:  http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/shows/project-runway/project-runway-designers/althea-harper/portfolio.  And while not exactly right because they landed him in the bottom two, Christopher had my favorite soundbyte, "With a bustier and sparkle panties you can't go wrong." 

Because my cable is on the fritz and digitally tiling my screen at random I got annoyed and put a chick flick in (from my Netflix queue, another one of my favorite inventions of the last few years!) 'Confessions of a Shopaholic'.  I had high hopes. I loved Sophie Kinsella's first two novels and sped through them over a long weekend once.  'The Devil Wears Prada' was probably even better than Lauren Weisberger's fabulous book.  This movie was NOT T'he Devil Wears Prada' as much as it wanted to be.  I probably shouldn't spend too much time dissecting something clearly meant to be so frivolous but I was disappointed.  The best thing about it was Patricia Field's amazing outfits (I miss Sex and the City!) and Isla Fisher's cuteness and the worst thing about it was the slapstick at every turn.  Boo!

I have about 10 more shows from this week on my DVR so there'll be more to come.