15 Movies

Facebook - what can I say?  It is a new creature every day.  Something is always going around, spreading from user to user faster than Swine Flu, only to be replaced by the next big thing in a day or two.  I rarely participate.  I gave in when it came to the movie list.  We were supposed to write about 15 movies that most impacted us.  Notice that the operative word is impacted - not liked or loved.  Here are my first 8:

1. The Breakfast Club - This was SO my High School, and I SO knew all those people. How uncanny that my High School could be summed up in one movie. Were we that much of a cliche? And why didn't they just go ahead and film the thing at my High School?

2. Ferris Bueller's Day Off - If a movie could serve as an anthem to my teen years in the 80's, this one is it. A little rebellion and fun without too much harm done. I also love the fact that Ferris reminds me of one of my brothers (who will not be named here) who was popular and could charm and fool anyone back in the day.

3. Slaughterhouse 5 - This movie impacted me, but is NOT a favorite. I saw it once and never want to see it again. The fickle nature of injustice in the movie had me in tears.

4. Last of the Mohicans - Who paid attention in history class to the French and Indian War? Here is your refresher course. Does away with any sanitized notions of Colonial life that you may have had. Amazing music and stunning filmography.

5. Blackhawk Down - Begins with a well deserved nod to the UNHCR for the get-your-hands-dirty kind of work that they do in war-torn countries, and reminds you why the US was there in the first place. The "making of" on the DVD is a must-see, as we watch the actors attend Delta force and Ranger training. A bonus: Eric Bana saves the day. Did we expect any less? (For a great backdrop on the thug-ocracy that was/is Somalia, read Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.)

6. The Sound of Music - A sappy cliche to some, but always a favorite to me. Makes me think of my mother, and I can't watch it without remembering watching it with her when I was a kid, and hearing her comment on her favorite lines and songs. This movie was my childhood introduction to the topic of WWII. Salzburg gets my vote for most beautiful city in Europe. Can I grow edelweiss in Texas?

7. Return to Me - My favorite chick-flick. I love the Chicago-ness of this movie: the pub, the accents, the Lincoln Park Zoo, and the old Irish neighborhood where the same families have lived for over a century. Bonnnie Hunt's director's commentary is fun - she cast half her extended family as extras. This was Carroll O'Connor's last movie.

8. Traffic - Some have called it a modern-day "Reefer Madness". So be it, I think it serves as a warning to all that there is no such thing as harmless dabbling with drugs. I like that it digs deep into the underworld of dealers in the US and cartels and corrupt officials in Mexico. My hero is Benicio del Toro, who does his best to work within the system as it is. The movie is short on hope - or is it just realistic?


More to come...