Sentimental Valium

Currently playing: "An Electronic Address" by Figurine. (GREAT electronic quirky music boys and girls!!)

The letter F is a good one for movies. So the format (also an F word) will be different (contains 2 F's) today accordingly. I'm confident (one F) I will Forget a Few movies so Feel Free to comment and clear up my mistakes!

Top 5 "F" Movies:
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1. Fargo (A sardonic and dark movie with a LOT of snow. I love William H. Macy so much--easily one of my favorite actors. And Steve Buschemi has a large part. Couldn't ask for much more!! Another movie that takes the accent of the NoDak's and those in that area to an extreme. And incidently, I was born not too far outside of Fargo, ND. I've seen a lot of the same landmarks that are featured in that movie.)
2. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986 boys and girls. What a banner year for Matthew Broderick. That's a guy who has made some great movies--Election, Cable Guy--and some CRAPPY ones--Inspector Gadget, Addicted To Love, those Lion King movies. Regardless, he was a teen hero in 1986. This movie shaped my worldview in significant ways--along with being fodder for some of the most memorable lines of my younger years!)
3. Fight Club (Chuck Palahniuk is an unreal writer. The movie actually stays pretty true to the book. I have seen this dark comedy/drama ?? a ton of times and still end up being moved by it! I'm disturbed, inspired, grossed out, uncomfortable, amused... So many reactions to one movie. This will probably forever remain in my Top 5 Of All Time)
4. Fletch Lives (Chevy Chase, though washed-up and very sad these days, is a genius in movies like this--including the Vacations! His use of fake names still has me cracking up. Filled with cheesy one-liners and the ever-popular plot-line: loser-guy-plays-hero-and-gets-good-looking-daughter-of-bad-guy....I've not transfered over to DVD for this movie yet--I still watch the VHS! All the tel-evangelist scenes are embarrasing and side-splitting!!)
5. Forrest Gump. (I remember watching this in the theater 4 times when it came out. Still up there as one of Amish Aaron's favorite movies, I catch myself getting tearey-eyed every time I watch this. Thank goodness they have finally put this out on DVD!! My favorite scene--Bubba and Forrest leaning against each other so "we don't have to sleep with our heads in the mud.")

Second-Tier "F" Movies:
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1. Fast Times At Ridgemont High (I know I know--this is a krass choice. But the high school humor and silly nudie shots are part of its enduring nature. Judge Reinhold and Spicoli were people I looked up to in high school! This movie features great performances by younger versions of familiar actors: Forest Whitaker, Nicolas Cage and Anthony Edwards--all roles I'm sure they are very proud of.)
2. Fear (Creepy movie with Marky-Mark and Reese Witherspoon. It's been called the "Fatal Attraction for teens" and that is a good description!! This movie was directed by the same guy who did "Glengarry Glen Ross"--suprising since those two movies are NOTHING alike!! This probably isn't the best date movie. Unless you're out with someone you never want to see again--then you could just applaud and talk about how much you like Wahlberg's character. That might get you out of a follow-up evening.)
3. Finding Nemo (I have to add it--I just recently watched it with the girls at Amish Aaron's house and it's pretty cute. The best was having Amelia tell me about what was going to happen next so I wouldn't be worried too much about Nemo.)
4. Frida (Great movie! One I didn't plan on seeing, but definitely worth a look. It's filmed beautifully and is a gripping story about a tragic and yet unbelievably gifted artist. Also one of the few times I could say "Salma Hayek--yeah she didn't look that great!")
5. Full Monty (I'm a sucker for British comedies. This one, once you can get used to the accents, is HILARIOUS!! A great mixture of personalities and filled with the typical British intelligent humor. It's also sort of sad at times--a good mixture. If you liked "Waking Ned Devine" or the newer "Calendar Girls," you will probably be pretty entertained by this one.)

[honorable mention: Frequency; Full Metal Jacket]

Bottom "F" Movies:
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1. Fast and the Furious (awful)
2. Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (awful)
3. Footloose (let's be honest--it's awful!)
4. Freaky Friday (awful)
5. Freddy Got Fingered (abysmal--beyond explanation)
6. Freddy vs Jason (awful and awful)

I have more to write, but this post is long enough. I'll continue later today. (Thanks to Carter who mentioned how entertained he is by reading these lists--I'm all about giving the people what they want!! Just the kind of guy I am....)

posted by -tr0y- @ 10:11 AM

Top 5 "E" Movies:
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1. Edward Scissorhands (This movie ranks up there was one of my all-time favorites. For some reason, this is a movie I love to watch right about the time when we get our first snowfall--something about this movie and that time of year are connected.)
2. Election (I read the book first, but the movie made me laugh so hard! It still does. Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon are a great pairing for this off-the-wall look at high school. Prepare to be uncomfortable a few times though...)
3. Empire Strikes Back (Makes me feel young every time I watch it. Might be purely nostalgic, but so what. There are scenes in this movie that I see copied all the time. Definitey my favorite of all the Star Wars films)
4. Eraserhead (An old film by David Lynch. It's surrealist for sure, but definitely worth seeing at least once--even by people who aren't "into that artsy stuff." Saw it first in high school for a drama class--I still can't believe the teacher didn't get fired for showing it!! Probably a profound movie with great cultural commentary--definitely weird though.)
5. Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex (But Were Afraid To Ask) (Woody Allen again at his most sardonic and silly. Not my favorite of his, but usually really liked by people who don't follow his stuff closely.)

[honorable mention: Ed Wood; Elephant; Elephant Man; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; ET]

Bottom 5 "E" Movies:
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1. Ed TV (The trailer park version of "Truman Show." This movie pissed me off--writing the title of it actually pissed me off.)
2. End Of Days ("As the end of the world draws near, Arnold Schwarzenegger steps in and tries to put a stop to the woman born to be the anti-Christ. " Wow.. someone paid for that movie to be made!!)
3. English Patient (I made my mind up about this movie outside of Seinfeld's influence. I didn't like this either--though I did make it through the entire debacle.)
4. Erin Brockovich (More like Erin Boob-ovich! This movie was beyond a bore.)
5. Escape From LA (Kurt Russell following up a rotten movie with a worse one. It's impossible to take a character seriously when his name is Snake. The sole bright spot in this movie: Steve Buscemi's appearance.)

posted by -tr0y- @ 1:08 PM

I am stealing yet one more thing from Liz's blog: she posted a GREAT survey thing that fits me perfectly! Since it has to do with music, I obviously had a tough time narrowing my answers down. So I have a couple of ties. I thought about doing two different lists, but... here is it:

Life Soundtrack
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Opening song: "Ribcage" (Elbow)
Waking up: "Hey It's The Sun" (The Polyphonic Spree)
First date: "Nyja Lagid" (Sigur Ros)
First kiss: "And Before The First Kiss" (The Field Mice)
Falling in love: "Yellow" (Coldplay)/"Such Great Heights" (Postal Service)
Seeing an old love: "Porcelain" (Better Than Ezra)/"Let's Talk About Spaceships" (Say Hi To Your Mom)
Heartbreak: "Delicate" (Damien Rice)
Driving: "Passenger Side" (Wilco)/"Hardest Button To Button" (White Stripes)
Getting ready to go out: "Give It Away" (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Partying with friends: "Flagpole Sitta" (Harvey Danger)/"Friendship" (Tenacious D)
Dancing at a club: "Days Go By" (Dirty Vegas"/"Pedestal" (Portishead)
Flirting: "Let's Get It On" (Marvin Gaye)
Feeling sexy: "Father Figure" (George Michael)
Walking alone in the rain: "Either Way" (Guster)/"Remind Us" (Over The Rhine)
Missing someone: "Love Song" (The Cure)/"I'm So Tired Of Being Alone" (Al Green)
Summer vacation: "Firestarter" (Prodigy)
Fighting with someone: "Terrible Lie" (Nine Inch Nails)
Acting goofy with friends: "Scooby Snacks" (Fun Lovin' Criminals)/"Banditos" (The Replacements)
Thinking back: "Today" (Smashing Pumpkins)/"We've Been Had" (The Walkmen)
Regret: "I Will Not Take These Things For Granted" (Toad the Wet Sprocket)
Gratitude: "Good Souls" (Starsailor)
Feeling depressed: "Gone" (The Beta Band)/"The Longer I Lay Here" (Pedro the Lion)
Falling asleep: "Asleep" (The Smiths)
Closing song: "There's Always Someone Cooler Than You" (Ben Folds)

posted by -tr0y- @ 5:08 PM

I'm actually not listening to music right now.... Bizarre.

I realize I forget some of the more "obvious" of movie choices when I list my Top 5's. Most of the time, that is the point. I'm trying to avoid the movies that immediately come to mind and stretch myself. Yes, Citizen Kane deserves to be on anyone's list--I accept that suggestion. The others though, Andrew, I might debate. Though, I respect your pop culture opinion highly and would be very open to your perspective--which is probably much more educated and informed than mine.

That being said....

Top 5 "D" Movies:
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1. Dark Crystal (This movie made such an "deep impact"--a ROTTEN movie--on me when I was little. It's one of those experiences that I can't remember much about specifics or details, but I remember how it made me feel clearly. This, sadly, is one of the movies I don't own--I need to find this!)
2. Dead Poets' Society (No big suprise here. Aspects of this movie play in my mind whenever I'm thinking about becoming a teacher--something I expect will take place before I cease breathing. I am inspired by that movie to be an inspiring agent in the lives of people. "caaaaarrrrrpppppeeeeeee dddddiiiiiiieeeeeeeemmmmmmm!!!"
3. Dirty Dancing (Put simply: NO ONE backs Baby into a corner.)
4. Donnie Darko (In the top 3 of strangest movies I've ever seen. There is something about it though that moves me! I saw it in a little art house theater when it came out and the bought it as soon as it was available. Though it's a favorite, it's also a movie I have only seen two times--definitely have to be in the right mood to see it!)
5. Drop Dead Gorgeous (Another "win" in the mock-umentary genre. A little slow towards the end, but the pacing of the first 3/4 of this movie make watching it worth the time. And anyone with Canadian/Minnesota/North Dakota roots is sure to enjoy the overblown accents and sayings.)

[honorable mention: Deliverance; Devil's Advocate; Dodgeball; Dr. Zhivago; Dune]

Bottom 5 "D" Movies:
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1. Dante's Peak (I've mentioned before my abhorrence for natural disaster movies--this should be celebrated as one of the weakest.)
2. Daredevil (Watched the first half--couldn't make my way through it all. REALLY hated it--no, I mean REALLY!)
3. Dennis The Menace (I loved Walter M in just about everything he ever did--but this movie was almost unwatchable. I remember seeing it with a few younger kids who didn't even think it was funny. I hope those kids are ok these days after having to see this!!)
4. Drop Dead Fred (Annoying off the charts!! At times humorous, but far beyond my ability to handle.)
5. Drumline (A few people told me this was entertaining and that I would like it, since I'm a musician. Wrong and wrong--I wasn't entertained and I've decided to no longer be a musician if this kind of movie is going to be associated with being one.)

Rode 12 miles the other day on the bike and then hopped off to run a couple--trying to get prepared for the Tri. Bad news though--I've been having some swelling in my right knee. I'm trying to get an appointment this week to at least get it looked at and see if I should be running it. It's been swollen for a couple weeks pretty consistently. I haven't had to fill my ice cube trays so much in my life! If I don't end up running, I'll have to figure out what to get to the highest bidder. (c@it--the cotton candy, though I really can't stand, is a nice addition to the bid!)

Doing some reading now. Been making my way through a book called "Status Anxiety" by Alain de Botton. When I saw this book, I knew it would blow me away. I love the way it's written--the format is easy to tackle and in sort of "bite-sized" chunks. He marries his own commentary with longer passages from old writings. Check out the book reviews at Amazon--they are pretty accurate from what I have read so far. I expect I will finish the book tonight--once I start it, I feel like I can't stop. Another great piece of social commentary. (Also check out his book "How Proust Can Change Your Life." It's equally good and witty.)

posted by -tr0y- @ 3:18 PM