Well Halloween night is here. I just finished watching my traditional Halloween movies, Nightmare Before Christmas and It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. I have been listening to a lot of Halloween and spooky themed music over the last few weeks, and singing some as well, just from work alone. Everybody has their own opinion on different songs for this spooky holiday, but I thought I would share my top 10 list of favorite Halloween and spooky themed songs.
10) Spooky - This one, by a group called the Classics IV, has always been a favorite. It's old, but is also one of the only songs on here that has the word "Halloween" in the lyrics.
9) Theme from The Munsters - Another oldie, but goodie. I have never really even watched this show, but this song is rocking, in a spooky kind of way.
8) Thriller - Michael Jackson did right with this song, even the video plays out like a horror movie. I finally learned the dance about six months ago.
7) Dragula - This is probably one of the only Rob Zombie songs that I like, but the lyrics are really haunting.
6) Don't Fear the Reaper - I grew up with oldies, so I like a lot of these older songs. This one is fairly macabre, and if the title isn't enough to convince you listen to the creepy solo about halfway in.
5) Mad World - I am partial to the Tears for Fears version, but Gary Jules did a pretty good remake of it as well. What's important is the lyrics, nothings more dark than talking about your own death.
4) Ghostbusters - I grew up with these movies, and the theme is wonderful to dance to at a Halloween party. Although some of the lyrics seem like they might have double meaning...
3) This is Halloween - The theme for Halloween in my opinion. One of Danny Elfman's best songs written, describing every aspect of an eerie Halloween night.
2) Monster Mash - This song is corny, but I love it! The sound effects are ridiculous, and I'm pretty sure Bobby Pickett meant for it to be a joke. Another good one to dance to this Halloween.
1) Time Warp - Another oldie tops my list, but no matter how many times I hear this song I still love it. It's also just so much fun to dance to.
So that's it for my favorite songs to listen to at Halloween time. If you have any favorites post them in the comments. For now I think I'm going to take down my decorations and get ready for Thanksgiving. I have a rule that nothing Christmas can go up until after that holiday, which just happens to be my favorite. Perhaps I will have to make a top ten list for Thanksgiving.
Happy Halloween everyone!
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
Day 66: Top 10 for Halloween
Halloween is fast approaching, even though I can hardly believe November is practically here. I was thinking the other day about any good Halloween movies that I own to watch on Thursday evening, and I actually came up with more than I thought. This is a list of the top 10 Halloween movies that I own. Also, I always watch the top movie on this list every Halloween.
10: Nothing But Trouble - This is the ultimate B movie of the 80's. It has John Candy, Chevy Chase, and even Digital Underground (2Pac) in it. Very disturbing, but in a funny way.
9: Ghostbusters - I love the classics, and this is the classic from my generation. Not too scary, can make you laugh, and has some great acting by some great comedians.
8: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - I love musicals, even though this one is highly gory.
7: Rocky Horror Picture Show - Tim Curry in drag singing. Need I say more? One of the best (and only) sing along experiences I have experienced in a theater.
6: Cry Wolf - If you haven't seen this intense teen thriller I would highly recommend it. There's almost no gore, it has an amazing twist at the end, and Bon Jovi is in it!
5: Beetlejuice - Michael Keaton at his best in my opinion. He's only in the movie for about a half hour, but makes up for it by giving the most outrageous, off the wall performance.
4: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown - Another classic that is a must see every Halloween. 25 minutes of pure enjoyment.
3: The Silence of the Lambs - I love psychological thrillers, and this movie doesn't disappoint. Anthony Hopkins at his best.
2: Little Shop of Horrors - Another great musical in the horror genre, as in the newer version with Rick Moranis and Steve Martin. It's not too often you get to see Steve Martin busting a move in a lab coat.
1: The Nightmare Before Christmas - When this movie first came out I was not allowed to watch it (I was nine). I have now seen it so many times I sing along to all the songs. Sometimes I even watch it at Christmas time as well.
That's all folks, as you can tell I really love musicals. Almost half of my list is musicals, but only two movies on there I would consider to be gory movies. It just goes to show you can have a great Halloween movie, or scary movie, without lots of blood and guts. I do have to say there is one honorable mention. I don't own it, so I didn't put it on my list, but I would have to say Psycho is one of the better scary movies out there. It proved that it isn't what you see that scares you, it's what you don't see that's even scarier.
What's your favorite Halloween movie? What movie do you HAVE to watch every Halloween? Later this week I will post my top 10 songs for Halloween. For now this is a picture of my costume last year, I was a clown.
10: Nothing But Trouble - This is the ultimate B movie of the 80's. It has John Candy, Chevy Chase, and even Digital Underground (2Pac) in it. Very disturbing, but in a funny way.
9: Ghostbusters - I love the classics, and this is the classic from my generation. Not too scary, can make you laugh, and has some great acting by some great comedians.
8: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - I love musicals, even though this one is highly gory.
7: Rocky Horror Picture Show - Tim Curry in drag singing. Need I say more? One of the best (and only) sing along experiences I have experienced in a theater.
6: Cry Wolf - If you haven't seen this intense teen thriller I would highly recommend it. There's almost no gore, it has an amazing twist at the end, and Bon Jovi is in it!
5: Beetlejuice - Michael Keaton at his best in my opinion. He's only in the movie for about a half hour, but makes up for it by giving the most outrageous, off the wall performance.
4: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown - Another classic that is a must see every Halloween. 25 minutes of pure enjoyment.
3: The Silence of the Lambs - I love psychological thrillers, and this movie doesn't disappoint. Anthony Hopkins at his best.
2: Little Shop of Horrors - Another great musical in the horror genre, as in the newer version with Rick Moranis and Steve Martin. It's not too often you get to see Steve Martin busting a move in a lab coat.
1: The Nightmare Before Christmas - When this movie first came out I was not allowed to watch it (I was nine). I have now seen it so many times I sing along to all the songs. Sometimes I even watch it at Christmas time as well.
That's all folks, as you can tell I really love musicals. Almost half of my list is musicals, but only two movies on there I would consider to be gory movies. It just goes to show you can have a great Halloween movie, or scary movie, without lots of blood and guts. I do have to say there is one honorable mention. I don't own it, so I didn't put it on my list, but I would have to say Psycho is one of the better scary movies out there. It proved that it isn't what you see that scares you, it's what you don't see that's even scarier.
What's your favorite Halloween movie? What movie do you HAVE to watch every Halloween? Later this week I will post my top 10 songs for Halloween. For now this is a picture of my costume last year, I was a clown.
Day 65: This is the story all about how my night got flipped, turned upside down
It's been awhile! I'm happy to say that even though I am now 30 years old, I can still enjoy the night like a twenty something. It all started a couple weeks ago, when I decided that, since my friends haven't been doing much hanging out lately, I would go to a meetup party for Halloween instead. It was held downtown at a place called Sneaky Pete's, which is basically a party bar, but I figured a good atmosphere for a Halloween party. A couple days later I was invited to another Halloween party hosted by one of my friends, but I had already paid my ticket for the other party. My friend kept messaging me asking if I was going, and finally I told her I would try to make it. Two parties in one night? In the words of Barney Stinson: Challenge accepted!
I actually got off work a little early so that I could get ready for the party in downtown. I planned on taking the bus, that way I didn't have to deal with parking or heavy traffic in downtown Minneapolis the weekend before Halloween. I knew I would miss the 6:30 bus, so I told myself I would take the 7:00. Nope, missed that one too. It was at least a ten minute walk to the bus station from my apartment, so I knew I had to leave a little early, so I told myself the 7:50 would be the one. I got to the station about 7:40 and waited in the cold for about ten minutes before the bus came. It was a looong bus ride! It wasn't an express so it was all side streets, the whole way there.
Finally we pulled up to Hennepin and I hopped out, glancing at the time on my cell phone. 8:30. Not bad, but a little late. The party had started at 7:00, but it's always good to be a little late anyways, especially if the host is late. I walked in and wandered down to the party. This was not a good "first meetup" if you didn't know anyone. When I first walked down there I didn't recognize one face. I almost walked out, actually. I was only planning on staying until 9:30 anyways, cause that's when the bus was leaving that would take me to my next party. After mingling a little more, I found some familiar faces, and was actually meeting some new faces, which wasn't easy with everyone in costume and the music playing at ten times the normal volume. After the costume contest, and a small dance party, I decided to move on, as most people were starting to do so as well.
The next party was near the mall, so I decided to just take the light rail and hopefully catch a bus from there. It was a very relaxing ride actually, just resting, for about twenty minutes, until a voice on the overhead told us to get off the bus, that it was no longer in service. This was right after the airport stops. Apparently even the light rail isn't exempt from construction. So we all piled off the light rail, and onto a couple of waiting buses, with drivers who were less than enthused to be driving the bar crowd home. I asked the driver if the bus went to the mall, and she responded, in the most monotone voice, "yes. this bus goes to the mall."
I got the crazy bus apparently, with people trying to bribe the driver to drop them off at their hotel, and talking about needing a bathroom. When we got to the mall I jumped off, noticed the time, and had another decision to make: take the bus and not get there for another half hour or take a taxi and get there in ten minutes. I decided that, even though it would cost a lot of extra moolah, to take the taxi. It was worth it, anything to get away from the crazies. Funny thing is, after I hopped in the taxi, they tried to hop in with me, to which the taxi driver told them to back off and get the next one.
I finally made it to the next party, which was a lot of fun. It was like an old fashioned kids party with prizes, games, and lots of snacks. I had looked up a schedule and if I wanted to get back to my place needed to catch a bus by 1:00. No problem, it was only 11:30. When I got there they were playing charades. How many times do you get to play charades with a group of adults anymore? Everyone is always trying to act so grown up, it was nice to act like a kid for the night.
When I looked at the clock next, my heart sank. It was 1:30. I went to the online bus schedule, but it only informed me that I had no bus options this late at night. I weighed out my options. Another taxi ride would be at least $20 to get home. A couple people at the party lived near me, they might be willing to give me a ride. Or I could just cut my losses and stake out a place on the couch/floor. My friend told me that if I wanted to stay I was more than welcome, and that she would be more than happy to give me a ride home in the morning. Someone else then told me that they could possibly give me a ride home. I ended up getting a ride back to my area, at about 2:30 am, which oddly is the time right now. Here I am writing this 24 hours later, crazy...
I do have to say I would not be able to do this every weekend, but it was nice to be so active in one night. It was my own little adventure. I was worried about even going, actually, because earlier that day I had a really bad case of vertigo. I was supposed to work at 9:30, but didn't get there until 10:30, and was dead tired all day because of the medicine I took for it. This was another reason I knew I wouldn't be driving around last night. When the vertigo hits like that I can't turn my head from side to side, so driving would have been very dangerous. I had to pump my music and blast the AC the whole drive home from work just so that I wouldn't fall asleep. I've never understood why they make vertigo medicine to make you drowsy. When you already feel like you are falling down, you don't need a reason to actually pass out.
Anyways, I should probably go pass out now, my concept of time goes out the window on the weekends, especially last night with missing my bus, but hopefully more adventures will come in the following weeks.
I actually got off work a little early so that I could get ready for the party in downtown. I planned on taking the bus, that way I didn't have to deal with parking or heavy traffic in downtown Minneapolis the weekend before Halloween. I knew I would miss the 6:30 bus, so I told myself I would take the 7:00. Nope, missed that one too. It was at least a ten minute walk to the bus station from my apartment, so I knew I had to leave a little early, so I told myself the 7:50 would be the one. I got to the station about 7:40 and waited in the cold for about ten minutes before the bus came. It was a looong bus ride! It wasn't an express so it was all side streets, the whole way there.
Finally we pulled up to Hennepin and I hopped out, glancing at the time on my cell phone. 8:30. Not bad, but a little late. The party had started at 7:00, but it's always good to be a little late anyways, especially if the host is late. I walked in and wandered down to the party. This was not a good "first meetup" if you didn't know anyone. When I first walked down there I didn't recognize one face. I almost walked out, actually. I was only planning on staying until 9:30 anyways, cause that's when the bus was leaving that would take me to my next party. After mingling a little more, I found some familiar faces, and was actually meeting some new faces, which wasn't easy with everyone in costume and the music playing at ten times the normal volume. After the costume contest, and a small dance party, I decided to move on, as most people were starting to do so as well.
The next party was near the mall, so I decided to just take the light rail and hopefully catch a bus from there. It was a very relaxing ride actually, just resting, for about twenty minutes, until a voice on the overhead told us to get off the bus, that it was no longer in service. This was right after the airport stops. Apparently even the light rail isn't exempt from construction. So we all piled off the light rail, and onto a couple of waiting buses, with drivers who were less than enthused to be driving the bar crowd home. I asked the driver if the bus went to the mall, and she responded, in the most monotone voice, "yes. this bus goes to the mall."
I got the crazy bus apparently, with people trying to bribe the driver to drop them off at their hotel, and talking about needing a bathroom. When we got to the mall I jumped off, noticed the time, and had another decision to make: take the bus and not get there for another half hour or take a taxi and get there in ten minutes. I decided that, even though it would cost a lot of extra moolah, to take the taxi. It was worth it, anything to get away from the crazies. Funny thing is, after I hopped in the taxi, they tried to hop in with me, to which the taxi driver told them to back off and get the next one.
I finally made it to the next party, which was a lot of fun. It was like an old fashioned kids party with prizes, games, and lots of snacks. I had looked up a schedule and if I wanted to get back to my place needed to catch a bus by 1:00. No problem, it was only 11:30. When I got there they were playing charades. How many times do you get to play charades with a group of adults anymore? Everyone is always trying to act so grown up, it was nice to act like a kid for the night.
When I looked at the clock next, my heart sank. It was 1:30. I went to the online bus schedule, but it only informed me that I had no bus options this late at night. I weighed out my options. Another taxi ride would be at least $20 to get home. A couple people at the party lived near me, they might be willing to give me a ride. Or I could just cut my losses and stake out a place on the couch/floor. My friend told me that if I wanted to stay I was more than welcome, and that she would be more than happy to give me a ride home in the morning. Someone else then told me that they could possibly give me a ride home. I ended up getting a ride back to my area, at about 2:30 am, which oddly is the time right now. Here I am writing this 24 hours later, crazy...
I do have to say I would not be able to do this every weekend, but it was nice to be so active in one night. It was my own little adventure. I was worried about even going, actually, because earlier that day I had a really bad case of vertigo. I was supposed to work at 9:30, but didn't get there until 10:30, and was dead tired all day because of the medicine I took for it. This was another reason I knew I wouldn't be driving around last night. When the vertigo hits like that I can't turn my head from side to side, so driving would have been very dangerous. I had to pump my music and blast the AC the whole drive home from work just so that I wouldn't fall asleep. I've never understood why they make vertigo medicine to make you drowsy. When you already feel like you are falling down, you don't need a reason to actually pass out.
Anyways, I should probably go pass out now, my concept of time goes out the window on the weekends, especially last night with missing my bus, but hopefully more adventures will come in the following weeks.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Day 56: It's been awhile...
So I haven't posted on here in awhile, been doing some adjusting to my new home. I had scary night #2 about two weeks ago, which I almost called the police on. I was watching a movie when I heard two people arguing in the hall. One was telling the other "you better not come back, I'm gonna stab you n****!" Then the door shut and I heard him muttering under his breath after the other had left. The next morning there were gang tags on one of the windows. I guess I do live in the ghetto...
I have recently noticed something crazy about advertisements. I was searching for a costume on Amazon, to see if it was cheaper than the stores. Later I was on a networking site and an ad for Amazon popped up, with the exact costume I had searched! Tonight, it was even more crazy. I was instant messaging someone about various interests, and they mentioned that they were getting in line early to get the big rig toy at Fleet Farm the following morning. After refreshing the page I noticed on advertisement for the doorbuster prize that this person had just mentioned. Creepy, huh?
I went to a Meetup a week ago and one of the girls in this Meetup works for online advertisements, and she said that this is common. It's all computerized, but this is why you get coupons at Target that likely is stuff you are interested in. For example, I have an electronic toothbrush and buy my replacement heads at Target all the time. I swear my Target card keeps track of this because every time I go through the checkout I get coupons for Sonicare products. I also buy a lot of clothing there so I get coupons for clothes too.
It is so weird to think that somewhere out there is a huge database that has all your information about your shopping habits, preferences, and likes. It is kind of nice, though, because then you get coupons for stuff that you buy anyways. It's a lot easier than trying to clip coupons in the Sunday ads, which is usually all for junk food anyways. Speaking of which, I am going to start a juicing diet within the next couple weeks. I am not going to go hard core, 3x a day, no meat or dairy, but I am going to juice at least one meal a day. I talked to my brother, who has tried it with his wife, and they are going to help me start by showing how they juice. Anybody else have any experience with this? I'm getting mixed reviews, a lot of people saying it's either too time consuming or that it's not good to do unless you consult with your doctor. I'll have to see how it goes.
I have recently noticed something crazy about advertisements. I was searching for a costume on Amazon, to see if it was cheaper than the stores. Later I was on a networking site and an ad for Amazon popped up, with the exact costume I had searched! Tonight, it was even more crazy. I was instant messaging someone about various interests, and they mentioned that they were getting in line early to get the big rig toy at Fleet Farm the following morning. After refreshing the page I noticed on advertisement for the doorbuster prize that this person had just mentioned. Creepy, huh?
I went to a Meetup a week ago and one of the girls in this Meetup works for online advertisements, and she said that this is common. It's all computerized, but this is why you get coupons at Target that likely is stuff you are interested in. For example, I have an electronic toothbrush and buy my replacement heads at Target all the time. I swear my Target card keeps track of this because every time I go through the checkout I get coupons for Sonicare products. I also buy a lot of clothing there so I get coupons for clothes too.
It is so weird to think that somewhere out there is a huge database that has all your information about your shopping habits, preferences, and likes. It is kind of nice, though, because then you get coupons for stuff that you buy anyways. It's a lot easier than trying to clip coupons in the Sunday ads, which is usually all for junk food anyways. Speaking of which, I am going to start a juicing diet within the next couple weeks. I am not going to go hard core, 3x a day, no meat or dairy, but I am going to juice at least one meal a day. I talked to my brother, who has tried it with his wife, and they are going to help me start by showing how they juice. Anybody else have any experience with this? I'm getting mixed reviews, a lot of people saying it's either too time consuming or that it's not good to do unless you consult with your doctor. I'll have to see how it goes.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Day 30: More Movies - Part 3
The weather has been so beautiful, so it's been a couple days since my last post. When nice weather comes around in September I like to take full advantage of it. I was able to get out to two different Frisbee golf courses, and didn't do too bad. Amazingly I couldn't find anyone who wanted to share in this adventure, but it helped me practice my skills a little bit. While I've been unpacking my last few boxes I've had a couple "background movies" on. Usually when I want background noise I go for the documentaries, and there were a couple that I've been meaning to check out. Most of these you don't have to actually watch the screen, you can just listen to the dialogue and get the full story. These two were about average, but were interesting nonetheless. I'll start with the one I watched first.
Hungry for Change
This is a documentary on how everything that you buy in the grocery store is unhealthy and should be avoided at all costs, or you will get fat, diabetic, or sick. I had to watch this one in twenty minute segments, mainly because after watching a little bit I would be disgusted with myself. It's hard to sit down to eat your frozen dinner and they are talking about how everything sold in stores is so unhealthy and there is nothing you can do about it. I could not eat while watching this show, it just made me depressed. If you have every seen "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead," this is basically the hybrid mother of that film. The guy from that movie is in this one, promoting his juicing diet of course, as well as a handful of other weight loss celebrities. I think they made a good point that you should read labels and be careful of what you eat, especially avoiding high fructose corn syrup, but eating local is just not an option for some. I know I can't always afford it. I do eventually want to start juicing at least three meals a week, but the juicers are expensive as well. I try to get as much fruits and vegetables in my diet as possible, but it's hard. I bought two cantoloupes the other day, mainly because I had to buy two to get the sale price. Two days later my kitchen is full of fruit flies. I lift up the cantolope and there is a big mold spot on the bottom. Luckily I had cut one of them up right away, but this is what makes it hard to buy healthy. Unless you use it right away it doesn't keep for long, which makes it expensive. Overall it was a good documentary, especially if you are trying to go on a diet, but not if you are feeling down or just ordered Dominoes.
Craigslist Joe
My friends had recommended this movie to me awhile ago. I kept seeing it on Netflix, and the synopsis sounded interesting. A guy basically decides to go out in the world, a la "Into the Wild," with limited supplies to see if he can survive only on Craigslist postings. I didn't quite understand how he would find places to sleep, who would offer their house to a complete stranger, but he did it. Or at least what the camera captured looked like he did it. He got many free rides from complete strangers, which I didn't even know was possible. To me this seemed like advertising something that the wrong people could take advantage of. Some of these people were young, single women. I know I would never offer a ride to a complete stranger, even on Craigslist. It's basically the cyber version of hitchhiking. It was interesting to see his journey and all the people he met, but I can't imagine he would have had the same success had a camera man not been with him. In this day and age you can never be too cautious.
Hungry for Change
Craigslist Joe
My friends had recommended this movie to me awhile ago. I kept seeing it on Netflix, and the synopsis sounded interesting. A guy basically decides to go out in the world, a la "Into the Wild," with limited supplies to see if he can survive only on Craigslist postings. I didn't quite understand how he would find places to sleep, who would offer their house to a complete stranger, but he did it. Or at least what the camera captured looked like he did it. He got many free rides from complete strangers, which I didn't even know was possible. To me this seemed like advertising something that the wrong people could take advantage of. Some of these people were young, single women. I know I would never offer a ride to a complete stranger, even on Craigslist. It's basically the cyber version of hitchhiking. It was interesting to see his journey and all the people he met, but I can't imagine he would have had the same success had a camera man not been with him. In this day and age you can never be too cautious.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Day 26: The Best Movies You've Probably Never Heard Of: Part 2
The fall weather is so beautiful lately, so I've been spending a lot of time outdoors, at least until the sun sets. This means that by the time I get home from work, I don't really have much daylight, so I've been watching a lot of movies. This installment of my movie reviews will focus on coming of age movies, two that you may or may not have heard of. When I found them on Netflix I had never heard of them, so these reviews are based on nothing that anyone else said about them. They are also from the 90's, so they were both fairly cheesy. There was one very striking difference: one was great, the other I would avoid like dirty socks in a locker room. We'll start with the bad, since I just finished it about an hour ago.
I Love You, I Love You Not (1996)
I chose this movie because it had an all star cast: Claire Danes, Jude Law, Julia Styles, and James Van der Beek. I couldn't believe I had never heard of this movie, since it came out the same time as a lot of other teen dramas that I enjoyed. After watching it, I can see why it didn't go very far. The main character, Daisy, has a grandmother who was in a concentration camp during the holocaust. Other than her having brief two second flashbacks and talking about the numbers on her arm, her story never develops beyond that. Daisy is constantly switching moods, one minute loving her grandma, and then throwing books at her grandma's face in the next. There is supposed to be a romance between her and Ethan (Jude Law), but it doesn't develop very far because he thinks she's too intense after fainting in a school assembly, as well as getting upset with others for making fun of the characters in the current book she is reading. Clearly her maturity isn't well developed, so he decides to end things. Then she decides to end things by standing in front of a train (sorry if I'm giving too much away, but I'm trying to save you 88 minutes). Her grandmother, of course, saves her at the last minute, which is right after she was screaming in her face that she was tired of being made fun of for being a Jew. Yes, the granddaughter is screaming at the grandmother, who is an Aushwitz survivor, that she's tired of the anti-Semitic comments. In the next scene she is of course shouldered up to her grandmother and they are back to sharing stories. I was thoroughly disappointed...
The Man in the Moon (1991)
I chose this movie because it had Reese Witherspoon in it when she was only 14 years old! I also seem to recall someone bringing it up at some point as a good movie to watch. It was advertised in the Netflix summary as a coming of age movie, and boy was it ever! The characters were very real and I can now see that why Reese Witherspoon is such a big actor now. This was one of her first movies, and it comes natural for her. The story is of a family in the 1950's, the parents have three kids and one on the way, living on a farm. Then a family friend moves back home to their farm, which happens to be next door, and of course this family friend has a handsome son, a young Jason London. Dani, Witherspooon, falls for him, but he doesn't want to give her the wrong impression because he is older and afraid he would take her innocence. Then he meets the older sister and falls in love. There are a couple surprises in the movie that are tragic, but the surprise is what makes them very real. Both of them caught me totally off guard and one of them had me in tears. That's the way life is supposed to be, though, catching you off guard when you least expect it. Check this one out if you're looking for a feel-good coming of age film, or if you just want to see what Reese Witherspoon looked like twenty years ago. Just make sure to save a seat for that box of tissues.
I Love You, I Love You Not (1996)
I chose this movie because it had an all star cast: Claire Danes, Jude Law, Julia Styles, and James Van der Beek. I couldn't believe I had never heard of this movie, since it came out the same time as a lot of other teen dramas that I enjoyed. After watching it, I can see why it didn't go very far. The main character, Daisy, has a grandmother who was in a concentration camp during the holocaust. Other than her having brief two second flashbacks and talking about the numbers on her arm, her story never develops beyond that. Daisy is constantly switching moods, one minute loving her grandma, and then throwing books at her grandma's face in the next. There is supposed to be a romance between her and Ethan (Jude Law), but it doesn't develop very far because he thinks she's too intense after fainting in a school assembly, as well as getting upset with others for making fun of the characters in the current book she is reading. Clearly her maturity isn't well developed, so he decides to end things. Then she decides to end things by standing in front of a train (sorry if I'm giving too much away, but I'm trying to save you 88 minutes). Her grandmother, of course, saves her at the last minute, which is right after she was screaming in her face that she was tired of being made fun of for being a Jew. Yes, the granddaughter is screaming at the grandmother, who is an Aushwitz survivor, that she's tired of the anti-Semitic comments. In the next scene she is of course shouldered up to her grandmother and they are back to sharing stories. I was thoroughly disappointed...The Man in the Moon (1991)
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Day 25: The Best Movies You've Probably Never Heard Of: Part 1
I have recently started watching a lot of movies on Netflix, mainly either ones that have been in my queue forever or ones that have been recommended. I've seen some good, some terrible, and some average ones. The three most recent movies were probably three of the better movies I have seen in a long time, all foreign. We will do this by genre...
Comedy: The Intouchables (French)
My mom loves foreign movies, and is always recommending them to me. She had been recommending one for awhile that I kept putting off, telling myself I would watch it when I had time. Foreign movies require more attention, because not only are you watching what's happening in the movie, but you have to read the subtitles to figure out what they are saying. The one she recommended was a French movie, The Intouchables, which is about a guy that is a paraplegic and must have someone care for him. When he hires someone, he turn out to be more fun than all the rest. He helps him to get outside more, have his first cigarette, and even have his first real date since his accident. It was one of the better feel good movies that I've seen. The characters were believable, and the plot never seemed rushed or too slow. If you are looking for a good laugh, check it out.
Thriller: The Wave (German)
I had a movie in my queue for the last year or two called The Wave, which is about a teacher who tries to teach his class something about autocracy and why a dictatorship doesn't work. This one came from, where else, but Germany. The setting was very well put, the teacher asks if the students knows what an autocracy is. I'll be honest, I didn't fully know until after watching this movie. The students say that it's kind of like the Nazi party, where Hitler had full control. The students get upset, and start protesting asking about why people can't just drop it, that kind of society could never happen again. So, of course, the teacher sets out to prove them wrong by forming an autocratic society in his classroom, which of course by the end of the movie, turns into a fascist society. This was a very disturbing movie, don't watch if you are looking for something easy going. It will have you thinking and, at some points, cringing, such as when one of the students starts following the teacher around and saluting him.
Drama: Silenced (Korean)
I'm not sure why I pick the movies I do, sometimes it's just what sounds good, or what has a lot of stars. I usually have a twenty minute rule, if I don't like the movie within twenty minutes, I turn it off. This next movie I had to watch in twenty minute clips, but not because it was bad. I watched the
Korean language film, Silenced, which is about an elementary school for the deaf where a teacher is sent to head an art class. The kids act really strange, and he can't figure out why, until he sees one of them being beat mercilessly in the principal's office. He then walks in on another teacher who is running a child through the washing machine. Yes, the child is in the washing machine. And it's running. This was the first point at which I had to turn it off. I came back to it a couple days later, and made it all the way to the scene where one of the girls is being raped by the principal. It was a really good movie, another very disturbing one though, but I would recommend it if you're up for deep thought. Just make sure you have a box of tissues handy.
There is a common theme in all these movies. I don't just pick totally random movies, usually there is one line that always grabs my attention. That line is: based on true events. That's right, every single one of these movies that I watched is based on something that really happened. They are all equally hard to believe, and that makes them that much more captivating.
I will keep trying to find new movies, mainstream are usually nothing too special anyways. I find that the more obscure a movie is, the more it's easier to watch because then I have no preconceived notions of what the movie is supposed to be about. I'm able to judge blindly. So, if you've seen any of these, or watch any of them, post in the comments what you think. Also feel free to post any recommendations, I'm always looking for good ones.
One last thing. I do not own any of the pictures in the above blog. If you would like me to remove them please contact me through the comments below and I will take them down. Thanks for reading.
My mom loves foreign movies, and is always recommending them to me. She had been recommending one for awhile that I kept putting off, telling myself I would watch it when I had time. Foreign movies require more attention, because not only are you watching what's happening in the movie, but you have to read the subtitles to figure out what they are saying. The one she recommended was a French movie, The Intouchables, which is about a guy that is a paraplegic and must have someone care for him. When he hires someone, he turn out to be more fun than all the rest. He helps him to get outside more, have his first cigarette, and even have his first real date since his accident. It was one of the better feel good movies that I've seen. The characters were believable, and the plot never seemed rushed or too slow. If you are looking for a good laugh, check it out. Thriller: The Wave (German)
I had a movie in my queue for the last year or two called The Wave, which is about a teacher who tries to teach his class something about autocracy and why a dictatorship doesn't work. This one came from, where else, but Germany. The setting was very well put, the teacher asks if the students knows what an autocracy is. I'll be honest, I didn't fully know until after watching this movie. The students say that it's kind of like the Nazi party, where Hitler had full control. The students get upset, and start protesting asking about why people can't just drop it, that kind of society could never happen again. So, of course, the teacher sets out to prove them wrong by forming an autocratic society in his classroom, which of course by the end of the movie, turns into a fascist society. This was a very disturbing movie, don't watch if you are looking for something easy going. It will have you thinking and, at some points, cringing, such as when one of the students starts following the teacher around and saluting him.Drama: Silenced (Korean)
I'm not sure why I pick the movies I do, sometimes it's just what sounds good, or what has a lot of stars. I usually have a twenty minute rule, if I don't like the movie within twenty minutes, I turn it off. This next movie I had to watch in twenty minute clips, but not because it was bad. I watched the Korean language film, Silenced, which is about an elementary school for the deaf where a teacher is sent to head an art class. The kids act really strange, and he can't figure out why, until he sees one of them being beat mercilessly in the principal's office. He then walks in on another teacher who is running a child through the washing machine. Yes, the child is in the washing machine. And it's running. This was the first point at which I had to turn it off. I came back to it a couple days later, and made it all the way to the scene where one of the girls is being raped by the principal. It was a really good movie, another very disturbing one though, but I would recommend it if you're up for deep thought. Just make sure you have a box of tissues handy.
There is a common theme in all these movies. I don't just pick totally random movies, usually there is one line that always grabs my attention. That line is: based on true events. That's right, every single one of these movies that I watched is based on something that really happened. They are all equally hard to believe, and that makes them that much more captivating.
I will keep trying to find new movies, mainstream are usually nothing too special anyways. I find that the more obscure a movie is, the more it's easier to watch because then I have no preconceived notions of what the movie is supposed to be about. I'm able to judge blindly. So, if you've seen any of these, or watch any of them, post in the comments what you think. Also feel free to post any recommendations, I'm always looking for good ones.
One last thing. I do not own any of the pictures in the above blog. If you would like me to remove them please contact me through the comments below and I will take them down. Thanks for reading.
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