Yesterday afternoon my husband I ventured out to our favorite theater to catch a showing of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in 3D. That gimmick usually doesn’t work on me and I was really okay with sitting this one out like I did with The Lion King, but BATB is one of my favorite Disney films (explained here) and my husband managed to coax me into going. Like I said, the idea of 3D has never appealed to me and knowing how prone I am to headaches (hello, predicting the slightest change in barometric pressure!), the idea of the 3D hangover wasn’t something I wanted to chance.

I made it out alive and free of pain, other than my back (that’s another story though), having enjoyed the hour-and-a-half love story. While the 3D aspect didn’t pull me in, the idea of seeing a movie I have loved for a long time on the big screen did. I was in 1st grade when BATB came out. I never saw it in the theater so viewing the whole thing so BIG yesterday was neat. The opening sequence was my favorite, when we get our first look at the castle. I think the setting for BATB may be my second favorite next to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (that creepy moat and dungeon are spectacular). The forest is beautiful and there is so much to notice about the castle. Another big I picked up on were the gorgeous landscapes in this feature. There aren’t many, so you have to watch closely (now I want to break out the DVD and get my pause button ready), but the bit where Belle’s father heads off to the fair has a lovely shot of a valley with a tiny house and lots of pasture/farmland around it, surrounded by mountains in the background. Such a lovely scene. I wish they did more expansive animated landscape shots like that. There I go — I love landscapes, but I know most folks (kids) don’t go to an animated movie for the fields and forests.

The details that I noticed were too numerous to count. There was so much more to soak in seeing this in its intended size! When Belle arrives at the castle for the first time, looking in the misty background behind the gates you can see a large shadow that takes up most of the height of the screen — the Beast’s shadow. I’m going to have to look this up on the DVD to see if it’s in the original version or if this is something they added. I thought it was really cool and kind of ominous. Definitely something I never noticed before.

Inside the castle there were more tiny details that I caught. The paintings in the hallway! Oh my goodness. There was so much famous artwork. I caught a Rembrandt or two and in one scene Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring is very clearly showcased in the background. In the West Wing we see the Beast’s elaborate four-poster bed that is completely wrecked, but the detail is remarkable.

I could gush over this for days, but it really makes me want to rewatch so many of these animated films on the big screen when I get the chance. For now, I settle with my TV.

Related posts:

1. 50 of My Favorite Films — 35-31
2. Fall Films
3. 50 of My Favorite Films — 30-26

As promised, Jennifer and I got together and talked about Downton Abbey. Hopefully it’s a little bit entertaining for you all! The next episode should have the kinks worked out. And I’ll bring my own notes.

Related posts:

1. Don’t worry, it ain’t catchin’.
2. The Secret Is Out
3. Video Response to LOST 6×3 – What Kate Does

When The Lake House starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock was released I was one of the first in line to see that business. A love story with time travel? I am all over that. (See #24 on this list) But there were a few things I didn’t like about The Lake House. Namely, Keanu Reeves. When I found out that it was a remake of a Korean film then I had to track down the original.

Here we have il Mare (Italian for “the sea”). It’s everything I wanted The Lake House to be. You know the premise — girl moves into house, boy used to live in house, there’s a mail box with a wormhole or something in it, and a cute little dog. If you like romances of any sort, go find this one. Just trust me.

9. Sling Blade
I learned to read some. I read the Bible quite a bit. I can’t understand all of it, but I reckon I understand a good deal of it. Them stories you and Mama told me ain’t in there. You ought not done that to your boy. I studied on killing you. Studied on it quite a bit. But I reckon there ain’t no need for it if all you’re gonna do is sit there in that chair. You’ll be dead soon enough and the world ‘ll be shut of ya. You ought not killed my little brother, he should’ve had a chance to grow up. He woulda had fun some time.

When people ask me what genre I prefer to write, if they won’t accept me saying “literary fiction,” then I say “Southern Gothic” and if they don’t know what that is I ask, “Have you ever seen Sling Blade?” And that usually clears things up.

I love the setting of this film, the characters, the language and the accents. I think it captures a place and a  people group that we don’t see depicted in film enough — the impoverished American south.

This story is rich. It makes me want to be a better writer. And when people say they think the plot is a little far fetched or out there, well, I say sit down ’cause I could tell you a thing or two.

8. Rear Window
Lisa: The last thing Mrs. Thorwald would leave behind would be her wedding ring. Stella, do you ever leave yours at home?
Stella: The only way somebody would get that would be to chop off my – finger. Let’s go down to the garden and find out what’s buried there.
Lisa: Why not? I always wanted to meet Mrs. Thorwald.

My granny introduced me to this film when I was 8 or 9 and I have enjoyed a steady diet of Alfred Hitchcock films ever since. I purchased the movie poster (above) when I was in college, but I’ve never hung it in my house. It’s a little scary (look at the creepy guy in the lower right hand window) and it doesn’t go with my current framed art — original soundtrack recordings of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals.

The setting for this film is very appealing to me and the slow burn toward a terrifying discovery is second to none. Most people know the plot, so I won’t waste your time, but if you haven’t seen it then you are missing out on one of cinema’s BEST. Let’s just say that Dexter should be glad that L.B. Jeffries isn’t alive and kickin’ it down in Miami.

7. Anne of Green Gables / Anne of Avonlea
Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it.

These two films are in my DNA now. There’s no way around it. I’ve told the story behind my love for them before and if you’re interested, it’s here.

6. les Parapluies de Cherbourg
Guy Foucher: What did you name her?
Geneviève Emery: Francoise. She’s a lot like you. Do you want to see her?
Guy Foucher: I think you can go.

This I watched on a lark one evening in early 2005 and fell madly in love with the French gem. Yeah, it’s a French musical, meaning I only know one person who will watch it with me (Heather). And since I weep uncontrollably in the train scene it’s really embarrassing.

A girl and her mother work in an umbrella shop. Girl is in love, boy goes to war, girl is forced into marriage because of her situation…it’s downhill from there. The final scene is absolutely heartbreaking with the snow and the gas station and her all dressed up in her pretty fur with her hair up and him…a mechanic. But they would have been so happy together! Gah. I just ruined the movie for you, but still, the songs are beautiful and it’s a timeless story.

Related posts:

1. 50 of My Favorite Films — 35-31
2. A Critique of Atonement OR How A Walk to Remember Changed My Life
3. 50 of My Favorite Films — 25-21

Since the premiere of Breaking Dawn Pt. 1 is tonight I thought I would go ahead and post this. True Twilight fan I am not, but I cannot deny my love/hate relationship with this saga. Some of these I put a lot of thought into and some are a little tongue-in-cheek (umm…especially the one from All Dogs Go To Heaven if you didn’t pick up on it). Enjoy!

Links are to YouTube videos or versions of the song available to listen to online where available.
* = no video available online at time of posting

The Twilight Saga Ultimate Fan Mix by DJ Suckitupbella
Twilight
1. Human (LightsoverLA Remix) – Ellie Goulding
◊ I don’t know what it’s like to be alive, to say goodbye / To cry a thousand tears because my ears won’t listen
2. Love Addict – Family Force 5
◊ Doctor, Doctor, I’ve got an emergency / It seems I’m head over heels, a case of L-O-V-E
3. Song for a Winter’s Night – Sarah McLachlan
◊ If I could only have you near / To breathe a sigh or two / I would be happy just to hold the hands I love / On this winter’s night with you
4. Ready for Love – India Arie
◊ I am ready for love / Why are you hiding from me? / I’d quickly give my freedom / To be held in your captivity

New Moon
5. Wintersong – Sarah McLachlan
◊ It’s late and morning’s in no hurry / But sleep won’t set me free / I lie awake and try to recall / How your body felt beside me
6. What You Don’t Know – Jonatha Brooke
◊ You’ll never see me coming / You’ll never know my name / Try to remember, try to forget / But you’ll never be the same
7. I’m Not in Love – Tori Amos
◊ I’m not in love, so don’t forget it / It’s just a silly phase I’m going through
8. Leaving Side of Love – Tori Sparks (I don’t have a clue what’s going on in this fanvid, but it was the best version of the song I could find online. It’s completely unrelated, so just listen.)
◊ You’ll be the cure for all that ails me / And I’ll be the poison in your blood

Eclipse
9. How Deep Is Your Love – Jonatha Brooke (the “Stairway to Heaven” intro in this video makes it even better)
◊ Kiss my mouth and taste my tears / let them fall with all my fears / Talk to me, say my name / hold me down, say it again
10. Don’t You Wanna Stay – Jake Bruene & Clara C
◊ We can make forever feel this way / Don’t you wanna stay
11. E.T. – Katy Perry (the Kanye version is DUMB, but it’s the best version I could find to share)
◊ Infect me with your lovin’ / Fill me with your poison … Wanna be your victim / Ready for abduction
12. Who Wants to Live Forever – Breaking Benjamin (Queen cover)
◊ Who wants to live forever when love must die… / Then touch my tears with your lips / touch my world with your fingertips / And we can have forever / And we can love forever

Breaking Dawn
13. Love Song For a Vampire – Annie Lennox
◊ Oh loneliness, oh hopelessness / to search the ends of time / For there is in all the world / no great love than mine
14. Break My Broken Heart – Thus Far*
◊ Tell me I’m not far gone / That my heart’s not destined to be a stone / Well, I know your love is the realest thing / and I want to believe it’s all I need / So break my broken heart
15. First Love Never Dies – Scott Walker & the Walker Brothers*
◊ Let’s hurry to each other / for there could be no other
16. Love Survives – Irene Cara & Freddie Jackson
◊ Love survives beyond our lives

Related posts:

1. Songs For A Winter Twilight
2. 12 Days of Christmas Hymns – Let Us the Infant Greet
3. My music this Monday.

My grandmother introduced me to this movie a few years back and I fell in love with it. It’s all about the south and relationships and alcohol and the way the hot summer sun makes people do and say things that are just a little bit crazy. There is family drama…but of course there is because we are talking about The South.

There’s Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor and that combo is dynamite. One year I was thinking about dressing as Maggie the Cat for Halloween but then thought maybe I shouldn’t run around in a slip in mixed company because I am not your typical girl when it comes to Halloween costumes.

SQUIRREL! I just remembered where I first saw this pose and it was in Lorrie Morgan’s music video for “Go Away”…which I saw long before I was introduced to this movie.

She pulls it off better than I did in 1991.

Yes, that is me play dress up in a negligee. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — I was indulged FAR too often. When you are the oldest and the only girl it comes with the territory. Moving on.

14. Dirty Dancing
That was the summer of 1963 – when everybody called me Baby, and it didn’t occur to me to mind. That was before President Kennedy was shot, before the Beatles came, when I couldn’t wait to join the Peace Corps, and I thought I’d never find a guy as great as my dad. That was the summer we went to Kellerman’s.

(I couldn’t find ANY good clips of Dirty Dancing that are embeddable)

When I was in 5th grade I went to my friend Jennifer’s house for a sleepover and I watched this, thinking I was being a real rebel. Instead I just fell in love with it. Something about it spoke to the part of me that felt so oppressed by my family (yawn)…the same part of me that was so touched by The Little Mermaid.

And back then my mom and Jennifer Grey totally looked alike.

It’s the dancing and Patrick Swayze and that scene in the water and “She’s Like the Wind”. The whole thing captures what I always think of as an innocent time in our history, when in reality there were serious things going on back then just like there are now. You definitely see it in this film.

A few years ago I dragged Heather along with me for the 20th anniversary showing in a theater nearby. GOOD DECISION. I don’t go see movies in the theater very often because they usually aren’t worth it. Seeing this on the big screen for the first time was amazing. Movies take on a new life at that level. I’m so glad I saw it.

13. The Age of Innocence
Newland. You couldn’t be happy if it meant being cruel. If we act any other way I’ll be making you act against what I love in you most. And I can’t go back to that way of thinking. Don’t you see? I can’t love you unless I give you up.

The following clip is in Spanish, but it’s my favorite scene so I had to include it.

Let me come right out and say it — I have an inexplicable crush on Daniel Day-Lewis. It’s probably his performance in The Crucible that brought it on in junior high and it lingers to this day. This movie is spectacular. It’s a period piece and for the most part I have kept those off of this countdown because I could have an entirely different one for all the period dramas that I like. But the story here is what I love. Two people fall in love and it’s too late. Society says she’s an outcast and he’s already engaged to her cousin. It’s a tragedy. The parties, the food, the setting are all beautiful and if you haven’t seen this one then DO IT.

12. St.  Elmo’s Fire
No diet works. The only way to lose weight in the thighs is amputation.

Love is an illusion.
It’s the only illusion that counts, my friend.

Take your Breakfast Club and your Sixteen Candles — give me St. Elmo’s Fire. Once again I think this was a right place, right time kinda thing. I saw it in the middle of college and I just…got it. It’s about life after college and how your circle of friends changes. Nothing stays the same after college no matter how comfortable those four (or five or six ) years were for you.

I love the music because it reminds me of 1989 when I was 5 and things were simple and didn’t have to go to school yet. And I really identify with Wendy in this movie. And Rob Lowe plays his sax all the time. The end.

11. Mermaids
Charlotte, I know you’re planning a celibate life, but with half my chromosomes, I think that might be tough.

Cher, Winona Ryder, and Christina Ricci. BINGO. Love all three of them. Winona Ryder’s fascination with becoming a nun and her confusion about how a person actually gets pregnant reminds me a little of myself at a young age only not on the latter part. All I wanted was to be a nun (and like the mother in this film did, mine informed me that I wasn’t Catholic so the discussion stopped right there. But let’s go ahead and say it — I would have made a FINE nun.) This movie is FUN. I like to watch it on rainy days for some reason.

Related posts:

1. 50 of My Favorite Films — 25-21
2. 50 of My Favorite Films — 40-36
3. 50 of My Favorite Films — 20-16

20. The Way We Were
You’ll never find anyone as good for you as I am, to believe in you as much as I do, or to love you as much.

“Two desperate people have a wonderful romance, but their political views and convictions drive them apart.”

Ain’t that the way it goes? Hmph.

I’m glad I saw this movie purely because it helped me to understand approximately 27 references made to it in Gilmore Girls, but even without all of that, it’s one of my favorites. I’m a sucker for a Babs movie and this one is awesome. It’s a classic so I won’t go into any details, but you should watch it sometime if you haven’t.

Moral of this story: Don’t marry someone if your plan is to try and change them.

19. You’ve Got Mail & The Shop Around the Corner
Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms.

Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Well, valuable but small. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it or because I haven’t been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when, shouldn’t it be the other way around? I don’t really want an answer, I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So, goodnight, dear void.

I bundle these two together because in my mind they need to be that way. There’s probably only one other movie that I have watched more than these and it’s closer to the top (We’ll be getting to it soon). The first time I watched You’ve Got Mail, it was love. Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks together, as cliched as that paring may be at this point, are wonderful (I love Sleepless in Seattle even though you won’t find it on this list). I’ve had to come a long way to get back to just enjoying this movie because I wrote my big capstone paper over it in my last course for my English degree. You’re probably wondering how that works, well, my class was “Comedy & Laughter.” And it was a joy. It made me very critical of this film though and there are some parts in it that, when I sit down and really think them out, I can’t get my head around them. Some of the character’s decisions seem like they come out of nowhere.

But you know what? That’s how love is.

Online love. Sigh. Back in the day before sex predators were a huge concern. This one holds a special place in my heart. Some of the very best relationships in my life happened in part thanks to AOL Instant Messenger. Thank you, AIM, for helping out a girl who is really bad at getting the right words out of her mouth.

Note about this film & me: I wore my hair like Meg Ryan has hers in this movie for about 3 years. I’m not brave enough to go back to that though. Her style here seems to mirror my own, which is to say — cardigans and sheath dresses and Mary Janes. I think there is a causal relationship between this movie and my affinity for Barnes & Noble.

The Shop Around the Corner was inspired by the same play that spawned You’ve Got Mail (as was Judy Garland’s In The Good Old Summertime which I find dreadful) and it’s a must-see simply because James Stewart stars in it. The premise is similar, only the main characters are pen pals and co-workers, and it’s set in Budapest around 1940. Pick it up or try to catch it on TCM someday. It’s lovely.

18. Steel Magnolias
I do not see plays, because I can nap at home for free. And I don’t see movies ’cause they’re trash, and they got nothin’ but naked people in ‘em! And I don’t read books, ’cause if they’re any good, they’re gonna make ‘em into a miniseries.

I am a woman, I am technically from the south, and this movie is the real deal. You can quote it all day around my house and it just sounds like normal talk. It’s precious and perfect in so many ways. When I see it on TV, I have to stop. I think it should be required watching…for life.

17. Nine Lives
Every life has a story. And every story has a life of its own.

Another group of interwoven stories by Rodrigo García. This is one of those films where I don’t feel comfortable saying much about the plot because it’s all connected and you have to see the whole thing play out. It’s beautiful and I think that the film shows just what a grasp the writer/director has on human behavior and relationships. He writes things that are real.

Here’s what Roger Ebert had to say — “Rodrigo Garcia … the son of the novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez … has the same love for his characters, and although his stories are all (except for one) realistic, he shares his father’s appreciation for the ways lives interweave and we touch each other even if we are strangers. A movie like this, with the appearance of new characters and situations, focuses us; we watch more intently, because it is important what happens.”

16. Once
What’s the Czech for “Do you love him”?

Would I have enjoyed this film if I hadn’t seen it until I was much older? I don’t know. Sometimes things come along at the right time in your life and this is one of them for me. It came out toward the end of my time in college and it touched my heart. It’s a quiet piece of film-making that captures a few days in the lives of two people. (SPOILER) It does not have the storybook ending that you might expect, as life rarely does. But it shows that every once in a while there is someone who comes into your life, for no matter how short a time, that you will never forget.

Related posts:

1. 50 of My Favorite Films — 25-21
2. 50 of My Favorite Films — 35-31
3. 50 of My Favorite Films — 50-46

25. Mrs. Dalloway
I don’t know what I feel. I know that I loved her once and that it stayed with me all my life and colored everything.

I sought this film out because I thought it looked beautiful. It is. The flowers, the parties, the English countryside — it’s all I could ask for Throw in a man who loves a woman only to have her choose someone else and it’s just tragic enough to make my list. I love this story. The book has been a favorite of mine for many years and the film does a pretty good job of capturing it. The whole time I’m cheering Peter on, hoping he’ll go ahead and ask Clarissa to marry him. Clearly he loves her!

But you can’t expect an answer to a proposal you’ve not made.

This video features some of my favorite moments from the film.

24. Somewhere In Time
Forgive me. I have never known this feeling. I have lived without it all my life. Is it any wonder, then, I failed to recognise you? You, who brought it to me for the first time. Is there any way that I can tell you how my life has changed? Any way at all to let you know what sweetness you have given me? There is so much to say. I cannot find the words. Except for these: I love you.

When I need a good cry, I turn to this. The magnetic pull of true love cannot be stopped…not even by the space-time continuum. Christopher Reeve has to go back (LOST reference!) to find the woman he’s fallen in love with (Jane Seymour). Well, he’s fallen in love with her photo and there’s some other crazy stuff that gets him to that point, but you get the idea. He goes back, finds her, and then Christopher Plummer walks in like a boss. It’s cheesy and WONDERFUL.

And I’ll say it again. All I really want is Jane Seymour’s hair.

(Just go straight to 4:30 and proceed from there)

23. 13 Conversations About One Thing
I wish, I wish we could see into the future sometimes. That’s the problem, isn’t it? I mean, life – it only makes sense when you look at it backwards.

Thirteen different stories, all connected. I love these stories that feature multiple points-of-view. There are a few of them on this list. Not much to say about this one other than it’s a quiet film. It won’t be for everyone, but I think anyone who appreciates good writing will enjoy it. BONUS: Matthew McConaughey in one of his more serious roles.

22. Pretty in Pink
Well, that’s very nice. I’m glad. Well here’s… here’s the point, Andie. I’m not particularly concerned with whether or not you like me, because I live to like you and… and I can’t like you anymore. So… so when you’re feeling real low and… and dirty, and your heart is splattered all over hell, don’t look to me to pump you back up ’cause… ’cause… ’cause maybe for the first time in your life I WON’T BE THERE!

Let me get this out in the open. I’m a Duckie girl. Duckie always wins for me so (SPOILER ALERT!) I hate the end of this movie. But the rest of it is great. It’s one of those films that I saw at exactly the right point in my life (’98 or ’99). I was angsty enough to really appreciate it and awkward enough to have it strike a chord.

Advice from a pretty-much-grown woman to young girls out there: Choose the guy that is your friend. Don’t listen to the people who say that you can’t make the jump from the “friend ladder” to the “dating ladder” (have you heard that theory? psh). Andrew McCarthy’s “Blane” literally has the least amount of personality of anyone in this movie. I give him and Andie 2 months, tops, from the end of the film. And if you don’t take away anything else from this — stay away from James Spader. Don’t believe me? Watch new episodes of The Office.

21. The Little Mermaid
What would I give
To live where you are?
What would I pay
To stay here beside you?
What would I do to see you
Smiling at me?

Where would we walk?
Where would we run?
If we could stay all day in the sun?
Just you and me
And I could be
Part of your world

No, I didn’t get to play Ariel on the playground, but I still loved this movie…probably more than any other as a small child. Let me tell you how it spoke to me at age 5 in 1989. I thought I was oppressed. Stuck in the middle of nowhere with nothing but my imagination to keep me going. Seriously, that’s what was going through my brain. I totally blame this movie for turning me into a feminist early on

Other than that, the bits about feeling so separated and a world apart from the person you love most — that gets me.

Related posts:

1. 50 of My Favorite Films — 35-31
2. 50 of My Favorite Films — 50-46
3. 50 of My Favorite Films — 40-36

30. Thumbelina
Let me be your wings / Leave behind the world you know / For another world of wondrous things

This one was really underrated when it was released (I vividly remember the episode of Siskel & Ebert) but I LOVED it. Possibly because the prince in the story was sporting a ROCKIN’ bowl haircut. And when I was in 3rd-4th grade that was awesome.

I love this one for the music. There are a number of sweet songs and it features a voice familiar to many of you out there — Jodi Benson. That’s right. Ariel from Disney’s The Little Mermaid. (She’ll be 50 this year!) And the music is composed by none other than Barry Manilow. I didn’t know this until years later, but it goes to show how exquisite my taste was even back when I was in elementary school.

Oh, Mandy…

29. William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents’ strife.

Let me first say that I hated reading this in high school. And to that I should also add that yes, I do have a degree in English, but for the most part I could do without Shakespeare. (Do looove Macbeth though.)

You hear that in the distance? They are coming for me, so I’ve got to hurry this along.

The story itself doesn’t do much for me. The kids are immature and behave in ways that would make you think their frontal lobes aren’t fully functional. Oh wait. They’re adolescents…so their brains aren’t firing on all cylinders. Anyway, even if the story isn’t right up my alley, this movie is. I love the cinematography, the way Baz Luhrmann and the screenwriters made this flow so seamlessly in a modern setting.

The “Kissing You” (party) scene is my favorite of them all. The song still makes my heart all fluttery like the first time I saw it in 1997. Sigh. Young love, people.

This is the one on the list that my husband will not watch again. I watched Dune in exchange for him watching this. In case you don’t recall, I WAS ON THE LOSING END, folks.

28. Beauty & the Beast
I want adventure in the great wide somewhere
I want it more than I can tell
And for once it might be grand
To have someone understand
I want so much more than they’ve got planned

Allow me to set the scene for you. It’s 1991. I’ve just started 1st grade. We’ve survived the hey day of The Little Mermaid. My best friend has long, flowing red hair. Guess who gets to be Ariel on the playground? Hint: Not the somewhat tall for her age brunette.

And then I saw a short segment about a new Disney movie on Entertainment Tonight (why was I watching this??). The heroine’s name was Belle, she had brown hair, and loved to read.

SCORE.

As the only brunette in my class who was interested in being a princess in playground games, my role was secure for at least the next year.

Beauty & the Beast is one of my favorite fairy tales of all time. I think the story and the lessons to be learned from it are awesome. It’s so much more than just a silly romance. It’s a story of redemption, seeing the good inside a person, and getting past fear and prejudice. I love it. It speaks to me.

27. Out of Africa
Perhaps he knew, as I did not, that the Earth was made round so that we would not see too far down the road.

It’s an odd feeling, farewell. There is such envy in it. Men go off to be tested, for courage. And if we’re tested at all, it’s for patience, for doing without, for how well we can endure loneliness.

Bring me some tissue because I’m going to cry just thinking about it. I don’t have the words to do it justice.

Sydney Pollack was a master. John Barry, a genius. And I’d give my eye teeth to have Meryl Streep portray a character that I wrote.

If you haven’t seen this film — what are you waiting for? Every bit of it is breathtaking.

26. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
You must make your own life amongst the living and, whether you meet fair winds or foul, find your own way to harbor in the end.

Gene Tierney stars as Lucy Muir, a widow who comes to live in a haunted seaside cottage in England. Rex Harrison is the dashing, and very dead, Capt. Gregg. It’s a sweet movie and one of my favorite things about it is Rex Harrison’s humorous delivery. Capt. Gregg has an opinion on everything and because so few people can actually see or hear him, he’s very open to sharing it.

This one is heartbreaking in a way, despite the light tone the film takes at times, because these two are separated by the greatest gulf that exists. Catch it on TV sometime. It’s shown quite often.

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We’re halfway through!

Related posts:

1. A Somber Sunday Evening
2. 50 of My Favorite Films — 50-46
3. 50 of My Favorite Films — 35-31

35. Leave Her to Heaven
There’s nothing wrong with Ellen. It’s just that she loves too much.

There’s absolutely something wrong with Ellen.

Synopsis: A writer meets a young socialite on board a train. The two fall in love and are married soon after, but her obsessive love for him threatens to be the undoing of both them and everyone else around them.

Gene Tierney, acting 12 different kinds of crazy. I caught this once on a sick day while I was watching TCM. Such a great find. Her character in this film is unbelievable and will do all sorts of things to keep her man. As in most films of that era, justice is served in the end, but not without a really wild ride to get you there.

34. Ten Tiny Love Stories
I don’t know, he was a good boy and handsome as the devil, but I just didn’t think he was the one.

Another movie that I randomly caught on TV once. Probably the Independent Film Channel. I stopped because I recognized Kimberly Williams-Paisley and kept watching because it was so interesting. I love the monologue style, with just the women telling their stories how they remember. It’s directed by Rodrigo García, son of writer Gabriel García Márquez (so, HELLO, the ability to tell a good story is in his blood), and this was the first film of his to draw me in to his work. He has a long list of credits that I am still working my way through, but you’ll see at least one more of his films before this list draws to a close.

Also — attention Rodrigo García: I have never acted really, but I would love to read a monologue for you. Call me.

This film won’t be everyone’s idea of a good time, so I’ll warn you there. But the stories are from the heart. Some painful, some odd…all interesting in their own right.

33. My Life Without Me
This is you. Eyes closed, out in the rain. You never thought you’d be doing something like this, you never saw yourself as, I don’t know how you’d describe it… as like one of those people who like looking up at the moon, who spend hours gazing at the waves or the sunset or… I guess you know the kind of people I’m talking about. Maybe you don’t. Anyway, you kind of like being like this, fighting the cold, feeling the water seep through your shirt and getting through your skin. And the feel of the ground growing soft beneath your feet. And the smell. And the sound of the rain hitting the leaves. All the things they talked about in the books you haven’t read. This is you, who would have guessed it? You.

What can I say without spoiling this beautiful film? It stars Sarah Polley which is the first thing that interested me. In case you are not aware, she starred in Road to Avonlea back in the day as Sarah Stanley, “The Story Girl.” The premise is an interesting one and you can probably figure it out from the title. It brings up a lot of questions about what a person might do if they found out they only had a short amount of time left on the earth. However, it’s a little different than your typical “Live Like You Were Dying” scenario. Mark Ruffalo and Scott Speedman (i <3 BENJAMIN COVINGTON 4EVA) also star, and in my opinion it’s worth watching for those two reasons alone.

32. Lovely, Still
It feels like you’ve been here my whole life.

I love elderly people. Period. I grew up around them, I preferred talking to them over my peers. Shoot, I still prefer a conversation with someone 10-20 years my senior over someone my own age (Dear 40-50 year olds, You are not elderly. I do not mean to imply that. Love, Elizabeth). This movie really hits the spot. It’s about an older gentleman (Martin Landau) who lives by himself and works as stock “boy” in a nearby grocery store. He is interested in one of his neighbors, another older woman. I can’t give away too much more without completely ruining the ending, but this is another sweet, sad love story. Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn give incredible performances. Watch it.

31. All This And Heaven Too
Henriette: You will think I am very silly I’m afraid, but standing here like this with the snow falling reminds of something I used to know. Do you remember a little round glass globe that…
Duc de Praslin: Oh yes, I know, with a snow scene inside. We had a paper weight on a desk at home like that. You shook it and the snow whirled around out from nowhere in a blinding storm.
Henriette: Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.
Duc de Praslin: And if you looked closely enough the whole world seemed to be obliterated and shut out.

Until about a day ago, I didn’t realize that this movie was based on true events. Hmm. Interesting. It’s the story of a governess (Bette Davis) who falls in love with her charges’ father (Charles Boyer) and the scandal that ensues. Not nearly as tawdry as it sounds and very beautiful. Bette Davis is young in this and Charles Boyer is as handsome as ever.

FACT: I used to have this photo of Charlie boy hanging on my fridge. I told you that I’m 80 inside.

This is a great piece of storytelling and a classic.

Side note: I own a first edition copy of this novel that I bought back in my crazy eBay days. The same crazy eBay days that landed me an invitation into Witness Protection.

Related posts:

1. 50 of My Favorite Films — 50-46
2. A Critique of Atonement OR How A Walk to Remember Changed My Life
3. My Favorite Christmas Cartoon – The Small One

Beautiful story of a couple who don’t strike most people as pleasant to look at (they’re very aware of their “ugliness” as well), but when they spend some time together in an “enchanted cottage” it appears that the scars that marr their bodies melt away and they are healed. In the end, the message here is that true love colors the world in an entirely different way.

39. Elizabethtown
“I’m impossible to forget, but I’m hard to remember.”

“I teach my kids about the things that really matter. I will teach them about Abraham Lincoln and Ronnie Van Zandt, because they are equally important in my house.”

That first quote resonates with me as it seems that I’m constantly reintroducing myself. I don’t know if it’s because most of the people I meet are forgetful, or maybe I’m forgettable.

This movie, more than any other I can think of, reminds me of my family in southern Oklahoma. To clarify, my dad’s side — the Johnson family. A southern, sweet, hard-workin’ bunch of folks who know how to handle a funeral and that’s with food. Also, their reaction to the notion of cremation would be just the same.

It’s a movie about failure, change, death, and family that stands by no matter what.

38. Ever After
My great-great-grandmother’s portrait hung in the university up until the Revolution. By then, the truth of their romance had been reduced to a simple fairy tale. And, while Cinderella and her prince did live happily ever after, the point, gentlemen, is that they lived.

Big, big sigh. Maybe this should be higher on the list, or maybe I’m just in a royal wedding mood. I watched this obsessively in 1998. I was 14, ”in love” with Prince William, and living in a dream world. And it was FABULOUS. I don’t actually know anyone who hasn’t seen this movie, but if you haven’t then you must. It’s just plain sweet.
37. Away from Her
“I think all we can aspire to in this situation is a little bit of grace.”

“It’s never too late to become what you might have been.”

This is a movie about a man having to let go of his wife who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. If you’ve ever witnessed deterioration like that in a loved one, this film will hit home. It handles the topic delicately and approaches it from a direction that you don’t see so much — the life of a spouse “left behind” by the disease and how he deals with the changes. Captivating.

36. Goodfellas
What do you mean I’m funny?

Do I really need to explain Goodfellas? It’s also on my list of “Movies You Might Be Shocked to Know I Love”. Give me agood mafia movie any day. This one is spectacular. Be prepared for some rough language though.

Related posts:

1. 50 of My Favorite Films — 50-46
2. 50 of My Favorite Films — 45-41
3. Creepy New Moon Craigslist Missed Abduction Connection