Ahhh… the smell of buttered popcorn.
The creak of the reclining fabric seats.
Holding hands in the dark.
There is something special about going to see a movie – it’s an escape from reality, really, and I’ve always been a big fan. It’s easy to forget about the world outside as you’re relaxing in a cool theater while your senses are assaulted by both the images on the screen and the Dolby surround sound.
As the CPA and I have settled into our married life, our trips to the theater have become a little more sporadic. When we lived downtown, we went to see a new movie every Friday night without fail. Lately for some reason, we find it easier to stay at home. But we still have our movie night. And now, thanks to my genius husband and his technological capabilities, we can watch those movies in surround sound. (We are still missing a nice big screen plasma TV, but that’s a topic for another day.)
In fact, watching movies has become almost a hobby for us. My husband downloaded the New York Time’s list of the best 1,000 movies ever made. So every week, using the DVR, we record whichever of those movies is playing on cable so that we can watch it on Friday night. We are slowly but surely moving down the list with such classics as The Ten Commandments, Airplane!, and Back to the Future. (Yeah, I was surprised Airplane! made the list too.)
So today – Friday, a.k.a. date night, I am thankful for movies. Specifically, my top ten movies (based solely on the number of times I have watched them, not on the accolades received or even whether they are actually good movies), which I have listed here in no particular order:
1) Gone with the Wind – the 1939 classic of Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler. This came on regularly where I lived and I even remember watching it at school one year (yes, I am from the South). I have seen this movie at least 50 times and it still remains one of my favorites. With Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, and Olivia DeHavilland, how could it not be?
2) Last of the Mohicans – 1992 epic film about the French and Indian War which is based on the novel with the same name. It stars Daniel Day Lewis and Madeleine Stowe. The music is incredible and the story is touching. I cried the first time I saw it in the theater 16 years ago. (Has it really been that long?)
3) Sound of Music – the 1965 musical starring Julie Andrews (hello, beautiful voice) and Christopher Plummer (hello, handsomest captain ever). It’s based on the true story of the von Trapp Family Singers and their escape from Austria. While I’m not a huge fan of musicals, I have to say that something about this movie speaks to me. Or rather, sings to me. (The hills are alive… with the sound of music! Now I have that song trapped in my head. Trapped – get it? Ha!)
4) Some Kind of Wonderful - Got to have a throwback to the 80s and in my book, this movie is right up there with Pretty in Pink, both of which I’ve seen about a hundred times. Some Kind of Wonderful came out in 1987 and stars Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson and Lea Thompson. I remember watching this when I was 15, and being riveted to the screen as Eric Stoltz ran down the street after Mary Stuart Masterson – what a moment! And as an added bonus, this movie has the best kiss scene ever! (At least in the mind of a 15-year old girl.)
5) Love Actually – The 2003 British movie starring a huge celebrity cast such as Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Kiera Knightly, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, and several more. A fantastically done film all about love and the intertwining relationships of the main characters. I love British movies, actually, so this is great! (What can I say, I’m on a roll with the puns today!)
6) Harry Potter - Well, I think it’s safe to say that I don’t have to explain who Harry Potter is. Anyone over the age of five has heard of him and has probably read his books too (except for the CPA – who incidentally does love the movies in spite of it). There is something about this series that intrigues me. The books were well written and the movies have been very well made. They help you escape to a land of magic and wonder and intrigue and I find them thoroughly entertaining.
7) Sense and Sensibility – being a huge fan of Jane Austen, it’s no surprise that I adore this 1995 film classic starring Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, and Hugh Grant. It’s such a well-done adaptation of the Austen classic, Sense and Sensibility.
Gladiator – I know, I know, a woman who loves watching Russell Crowe in the 2000 epic film Gladiator, imagine that! I’m a sucker for action movies that have a noble leading character, a wicked bad guy (played beautifully by the great Joaquin Phoenix) and stunning cinematography. Oh – and the soundtrack is incredible!
9) The Godfather – Come on, you didn’t think I was going to leave this one out, did you? It’s one of the greatest series ever made! (And, unlike a lot of die-hard Godfather fans, I actually like Godfather III. Probably because it has Andy Garcia in it. Definitely NOT because it has Sofia Coppola in it.)
10) Steel Magnolias – I wouldn’t be a true Southerner if I didn’t include this 1989 film starting Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Darryl Hannah, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine and Olympia Dukakis. I cry every time I watch it, and I do mean every time.
Well, that’s my top ten. There are so many great movies that I didn’t include on the list: Miracle on 34th Street (the 1947 version), Grosse Pointe Blank (love John Cusack), Bourne Supremacy, I could go on and on. But I’ll stop there. And I’ll wait until tonight, when the CPA and I will sit on our cozy couch, cuddle up with a blanket, and pop in a good movie. Hmmm… I wonder what it will be?
What’s your favorite movie(s)?
Images courtesy of Wikipedia.com
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