I didn't forget about this blog!

I've been busy. Sorry. But, I hope to update this fairly frequently.

On to my next topic: Favorite Movies. Note: this is not in any particular order...all of them are my favorites.

1. Amadeus-BEST. MOVIE. EVER. I've loved this movie ever since I first saw it, which was probably when I was about 6 years old. It came out in 1984, and my family got it on video probably in the early 90s. I love this movie because it is a great story, despite its historical innacuracies, it has fantastic music (Mozart!), and it really shows his genius. My favorite scene: when Mozart is in his sickbed, dictating the Requiem to Salieri...he demonstrates how all the music is just in his head, and he's talking really fast and Salieri can barely keep up. It's just a brilliant scene. You should watch it. Really.

2. Indiana Jones Trilogy, especially Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade-Another set of movies that I grew up with. We had these on VHS when I was quite small. My brother and I would watch the constantly. Over the years, we have developed a sort of secret language based on these movies. We can just mention one phrase, for example "bad dates" and both of us will start laughing. I have large chunks of these movies memorized. Perhaps the best action/adventure movies ever made. And now I have all 3 on DVD. I am wondering how good the 4th installment will be...

3. Pulp Fiction-I've only seen it twice, but I have it on DVD. The dialogue is fantastic, the story is really cool, and it's a movie that you can quote endlessly.

4. American Psycho-One of the creepiest movies around. It takes place in the era of 80s yuppies. The soundtrack has lots of classic 80s hits. Christian Bale is a great actor. I saw this movie twice, and I finally "got it" after the second watching. Very quotable as well.

5. American Beauty-In keeping with the "American" theme....I love Kevin Spacey. One of his greatest performances, I believe. Amazing story about the emptiness of suburban life...and how we all trick ourselves into thinking that it's what we really want. Eminently quotable (I really like quoteable movies-I think it's what makes the movie memorable for me) "You don't get to tell me what to do...ever again. "

6. The Dreamers-A French/English movie about a young American studying in Paris in the 60s..he meets a pair of twins, a boy and a girl...and they open up his mind and his worldview. It's rather racy and erotic, with lots of sex and drugs. But it's so appropriate for the setting-young revolutionaries trying to change the world. Also, the soundtrack is simply fantastic. Lots of classic rock.

7. Fight Club-A classic, of course. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton are amazing. A clever story, and of course, lots and lots of lines that people quote in their facebook profiles. One thing I like about this movie is that it doesn't seem dated. The concepts apply to any time period. Materialism, rampant consumption, filling our empty lives with posessions....it's still all there. "On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero."

8. Mulholland Drive-David Lynch's sexy, dark, mysterious, masterpiece. I still don't quite get how all the pieces fit, and I love it. A creepy, clever, brilliant, sorta mystery, with many theories as to what everything means. I love it when a movie makes you think about it long after you've watched it.

9. The Right Stuff-From 1983... I didn't see this movie till I was about 17, but I loved every minute of it. It is truly a masterpiece. It's basically a precursor to Apollo 13. Ed Harris is even in it, as John Glenn. It covers the time period from when Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier to the first Mercury space missions. It has excellent music, and lots of memorable scenes. Just an excellent movie. One of my favorite historical epics.

10. Donnie Darko-A neat movie that deals with time travel and wormholes (I think!) in a very non sci-fi way. It has a great soundtrack as well.

11. The Usual Suspects-A thriller with an amazing twist at the end, although I'm sure most people know what it is by now. But still....Kevin Spacey is just so good!

12. Fantasia-Disney's animated exploration of the world of animation, sound, and color. I absolutely love this movie. I love how they animate classical songs-even Stravinsky! I am going to see if I can get this on DVD, because I haven't watched it in several years.