Having gathered additional feedback (thanks to KP, Melissa & Ambrose, KZ, and CBear), I have modified, subdivided/categorized/prioritized, and evaluated Benny's Movie List:
Additional comments:
1. Benny is me. A nickname that someone tried (persistently but unsuccessfully) to make stick. Benny spends very little time in front of the television because....
2. Our DVD player is now broken. I shall have to find another one... Amanda has a tendency to press pause on whatever she's watching, and then go about the rest of her day/go to bed, forgetting entirely that she was watching a movie and put it on pause. Apparently, repeated all-night pause episodes are tough on DVD players. Regardless, it's probably a good thing, as this list is long and has the capacity to consume a lot of time.
3. I am confident that the List will shrink as time goes on, and I continue to modify, subdivide/categorize/prioritize, and evaluate it.
Movies I really want to see:
Pitch Black (instead of Chronicles of Riddick...this is the original Riddick...the one you should be familiar with - the one that existed before hollywood got their paws on the storyline) (as per CBear)
Love Actually (KP - my Korean friends RAVED about this one when I lived there. Not sure why I didn't just go out with them on a Sunday afternoon and watch it.)
Inception
Devdas (or another Bollywood... did you know that Bollywood is a bigger film industry than Hollywood? And I know nothing of it... must find out)
Fightclub - (This one might be this afternoon... have been dying to see it).
The Godfather
O Brother, Where Art Thou
Nausicaa of the Wind Valley (anime... I lived in Korea. You'd think I would have seen some already, but no... need an anime experience so I can form an opinion on the subject)
Indiana Jones (any of the first 3)
There will be Blood
The Hunt for Red October
Slumdog Millionaire
Anna and the King
Toy Story 3 (CG... have heard it's the best of the three)
How to Train Your Dragon (CG movie)
Water (Freda)
Zoolander (this is what Ambrose calls 'an absolute must'... kind of dreading it, but feeling tired of not knowing the background when I hear it referenced by people)
Kill Bill
City of God
The Brothers Grim
Robin Hood (Prince of Thieves - starring Kevin Costner)
Star Trek
The Departed
Donnie Darko
The Prestige
Amelie (foreign - CBear, Angelle)
The Saint (Angelle)
Swing Kids (Angelle)
Moulin Rouge (Angelle)
Hairspray (Angelle)
The Saint (Angelle)
Swing Kids (Angelle)
Moulin Rouge (Angelle)
Hairspray (Angelle)
Movies that I would watch again and again and again:
Shawshank Redemption (So very very good.)
Gladiator
Life is Beautiful (International... Possibly my favourite movie of all time. Best watched in Italian with English subtitles. If you have not watched this yet, please let me know and we will make a date of watching it.)
To End All Wars (CBear... best addition to the list yet! As Mike has not yet seen it, I informed him that I have started a movie list for him as well, and he is obligated to watch this one.)
Sound of Music (Melissa - this one brings back a lot of nostalgic memories. We used to play VonTrapp at our house... we were only short by two kids... and one person had to sub out to be the one blowing the whistle).
Fiddler on the Roof (As a child, I dreamed and played that I was the second daughter... I like her. And I like the Matchmaker song best of all. For a happy afternoon, I watch the first half only and imagine a less complicated ending.)
P.S. I Love You (Most favourite of all chick flicks. How can you not love listening to someone with a great Irish accent?)
Braveheart
Last of the Mohicans - (The soundtrack... mmmm. This is the soundtrack with which CBear persuaded me that soundtracks are a legitimate genre of good music.)
The Pianist
Little Miss Sunshine (I must say... LMAO. Perfect combination of satire and dark humour, reality and the ridiculous. New favourite comedy.)
Finding Forrester - Melissa (I think I watched this one with you and Ambrose)
Good Will Hunting (CBear - A new discovery for me this fall... loved it)
Movies from the list that I've seen and thought they were okay/good:
Snatch
Schindler's List
Children of Men
The Dark Knight
Princess Bride (KZ) - I have watched this one again and again and again and again (x10)... so it has been relegated to this list of movies as I'm kind of tired of it, the humour has worn thin. Still though... good.
Saving Private Ryan (CBear)
Crash (CBear - Loved it. Hated it. Made me laugh and cry and angry... Would watch it again and again, but it hurts my heart too much.)
No Country for Old Men (CBear - I didn't clue into the fact that it had NO music! Watched it with S in theatres when it first came out and felt a little disturbed by the fact that I LOVED it so much. Too intense for me to watch often, but glad I saw it. There's one coming out in a bit by the same director that also looks promising.)
The Ghost and the Darkness (Melissa - Watched this one at Gospel According to Hollywood in the last week of November 2002... interesting week. About a week before you and I became friends, if I remember right. Don't ask why I remember that evening so clearly. Sat with Chris from Kenya - remember him? - and listened to his hysterical peanut-gallery commentary on how bad the Swahili in the film was. Troy's discussion was awesome. Redhead Dana informed me that I'm an introvert - random conversation. I think I got a ride home that week with our mutual friend Candice and some guy who drove a blue chevy cavalier...)
Office Space (this one is from Ambrose)
What About Bob (another one from Ambrose... and he's right. It's a classic)
Bridget Jones Diary (KP - Guilty admission... I hate that I love Bridget Jones. When I'm having a feeling crappy about myself day, she's one of the first to find her way into the DVD player, unless Sandra Bullock is available to hang out - I like her too.)
Australia felt like a strange cross-pollination between Bollywood and old westerns filming style... just when the storyline was reaching its natural resolution, the writer introduced a brand new plot-line and conflict. My feelings on the subject are ambivalent.
Australia felt like a strange cross-pollination between Bollywood and old westerns filming style... just when the storyline was reaching its natural resolution, the writer introduced a brand new plot-line and conflict. My feelings on the subject are ambivalent.
Movies that stole my time and won't give it back:
The Titanic
Tristan and Isolde
The Holiday
American Beauty
Independence Day
Movies I might watch if an opportune moment presents itself:
E.T.
Legends of the Fall
Anchorman
Hot Rod
Austin Powers
The Usual Suspects
War of the Worlds - (Like CBear's advice - will try to find the audio)
James Bond: (Again, I like CBear's advice - one from each Bond era)
Eagle Eye
Cloverfield
American History X
The Green Mile
The Nightmare Before Christmas (claymation)
V for Vendetta
Chronicles of Riddick
Babel
1994 Pride and Prejudice (BBC version) (KP)
French Kiss (Melissa)
Dodgeball (again...Ambrose)
The Blairwitch Project - first person film style (CBear)
Robin Hood (Russell Crowe... have heard mixed reviews, but CBear recommends it, and I generally trust her taste implicitly)
Total Recall
Iron Man
Taken
Get Smart
The Neverending Story
The Fifth Element
Interview with the Vampire
The Game (Michael Douglas)
Resident Evil (1st one only)
Terminator 2
Trainspotting
Heat
Platoon
Departures (Japanese)
The Professional (a.k.a. Leon)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
7 comments:
A word to the anyone who takes Jenni up on having a date to watch Life is Beautiful...be prepared for her to fall asleep halfway through and then spend the rest of her life blaming it on her attempt to be considered medically insane!
i still think that this benny and i need to have a face-to-face sit down about what categorizes movies under "pop culture". we may either need to alter your world(or pop)view or come up with a different reason to watch all of those movies...the majority of which I would agree of.
also...[enter bribery] i would be HAPPY to help you take a large chunk out of your list this spring/summer if you would grace central alberta with your presents.
all that to say - i miss you, come home. (something similar from a line in ET...except that's "ET call home". which you could do also.
and by 'presents'...i actually meant presence.
but you could bring me presents too when you come.
Hey I meant to comment on the first one, but I missed out, so I'll have to add my two cents to this one.
These are movies that you have on your list that I definitely second:
Inception
Fight Club
The Prestige
These were the ones that you'd said you'd seen that I also love:
Life is Beautiful
Braveheart
Little Miss Sunshine
No Country for Old Men
And these are ones that weren't on your list that I love love love:
Away We Go
A Beautiful Mind
Dead Poet's Society
Into the Wild
Lars and the Real Girl
Synecdoche, New York
Just thought I'd mention 'em.
MWS - Ooooh! Yup... Comments, suggestions, additions always welcome. #s 2 and 3... have seen and loved. Dead Poets made me sad. The others I haven't heard of, which sounds like a nice bit of excitement. CBear - Bribery for me... presents for you? Let's go with that. I want a glass of white wine and a panscrambler. I'll bring you... not sure yet, I will think of some sort of present to bring to your presence. Can we start taking a bite out of the list sometime between March 5th and 13th? And Melissa - for the record... I had been awake for 59 hours. But you're right. I confess that I fell asleep in the middle of one of your sentences. As a small token of my ongoing (decade-long) penance, I have shared an embarrassing story out of my repertoire to make you laugh.
So now you have a list too.....
Yours is much more well rounded than mine, though, since only one person and his siblings have contributed.
I advise:
-Don't go to sleep right after watching Inception. Good movie, wierd dreams...
-How to Train Your Dragon is a must
-Star Wars is better than Star Trek
-Life is Beautiful - YES!
-Iron Man should round out your sampling of geeky movies nicely. Watch the first one (obviously...). It's my favorite of all geeky movies :)
woe jodi...
geeky?
just be careful who you are calling geeky!
i resemble that comment.
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