If you have survived yesterday’s long winded pissing and moaning, then I guess you really like me. After all, I think that every one should whine about this or that from time to time. Because when you do so, especially to some one who just listens, the situations at had seem to become all that much more possible, and it helps you to put things into perspective. Sometimes all you need is a good friend or family member who will just listen. I am blessed with many of you.
Now back to the updates in my life. I spent the better part of yesterday doing nothing finally, because I had a lot of that stacking up. Last night From Russia with Love and I went to a going away party for my friend Bubbles. She has accepted a position in our place of employment that is going to require her to move out of state, and she will be missed.
Before we went to the party, From Russia with Love had to tend to some animals that she is watching while a friend of the family is out of town. We went to her place so she could feed the dogs. And birds, and cats, and whatever miscellaneous creatures lurk inside that house and its badly papered and gaudy walls. And yes, there were cats there. So upon our departure, my eyes were itching something terrible.
When we got to the party, there were quite a few people that I did not know. In fact, other that myself and From Russia with Love, Dr. MookieLove and Bubbles, I did not know anyone there. Granted, there were a few people that I had met before, but not said more that two words to.
I spent most of the time with Dr. MookieLove and Bubbles when I could. From Russia with Love spent most of the evening socializing with the other girls that were there, and disappointing other gentlemen with the phrase: “Sorry, I have a boyfriend” (that’s just because you are too cute. I love you honey!). Between the two of us, we snapped about 100 pictures of the party. Bubbles even designated me the official ‘paparazzi’ for the evening.
Beverages and good times were had by all. And contrary to the title of this post, I am not hung over. I just thought that it would make for a good laugh. If only he was the God of being out too late as well. That would be more fitting for my situation (I’m just tired). That about sums up the party though. Nothing extremely exciting happened. Just socializing and goodbyes. Not ‘big’ goodbyes however, because I do plan on visiting as soon as my schedule and wallet permits. After all, there’s nothing like having the ‘hook-up’ in Vegas!
Also, during spring break and on, I have decided to do a multiple part project on my blog. As all of you know, I love movies (like, more than a friend). So I am going to be posting my favorite movies of all time by genre. Let me get some clarifications out of the way first before we dive into them:
Firstly; this is not an entire list of my favorite movies. That would be a list too hectic to count. These are just ones that have come to mind. However; in searching for a point to start, I thought from my childhood to present; and from that it got a little crazy. I have decided to group them into genres, and post them by genre periodically because the list became quite extensive.
Secondly; they are in no particular order. I just wanted to list some of them. There is not a limit I set on the list, i.e. ‘top 10’ and such, because that seems a little dishonest in categorizing, and they are in there for different reasons. So there is not a method to this madness. I am going to give you the ‘why’ they are on there though, so hopefully you may reconsider or reaffirm your stance on these gems of cinematic greatness.
Thirdly; let’s be more specific on ‘favorite’. There are a lot of kinds of movies, and favorites can vary greatly from genre to genre, and not only that, but why they are your favorite is important. These movies are the ones that have affected me, or moved me, or opened my mind to new things, or just plain enjoyed for dumb fun.
So, here we go the first genre. My favorite horror movies:
Alien- this movie was incredible. It’s the paradigm of ‘Art Horror’ in my opinion. You have the chief science officer that you find out it actually a traitorous robot, many classic scenes (including the thing jumping through the guy’s chest) and a scary and intimidating monster. The best part is the monster, because for the first part of the movie you do not actually see the thing, and you are scared only by your imagination. That can be a powerful tool of fear. Going back to the ‘Art Horror’ topic, the monster is a classic. It is cold, reptilian, unfeeling, brutally violent and holds no element of human decency sacred (for example: the willingness to eat women and children indiscriminately, and the scene where it is in the room with Sigourney Weaver’s character while she undressing. If that doesn’t scream vulnerability and ‘predator-prey’ relationships, I don’t know what does). That and the whole tone of the movie is just creepy. Brilliant!
Fire in the Sky- this movie scared the piss out of me when I was little. And it still does. I remember after having watched this movie, I did not sleep for days. It was the foundation for many nightmares when I was a child. And after it is all said and done, isn’t that what horror movies are supposed to do? Scare you? This one did its job and more on my little brain. In fact, I still recommend it for those who are in the mood to be freaked out. Because it is indeed; quite freaky.
Night of the Living Dead- This one also warped my little brain. I was deathly afraid of this one. Both the original and the remake. I have the poster for the remake on here, because it was the first one I saw, or the first one I remember seeing. Why do I like zombies, and why did they freak me out? Well, what I find scary is that they are marching death, and they do not stop. No matter how fast you run, kick and scream, they are still coming. And there is nothing you can do about it. They are hideous, cannibals and emotionally confusing because they are in the form of you’re friends and family. They are just cool marching death. Even in real life, you think of these fictional characters and they still stay with you. They stayed with me at least, reminding you that you can keep running, but your own mortality will catch up to you.
Ghostbusters1&2- To put things in a lighter note, these movies were great when I was a kid. I loved them because they were so amazing, funny and made me want to be a scientist (well, one of the many reasons). I did want to put them in the sci-fi list, but I ended up putting it in here. Just check them out for fun. Copious amounts of fun. Over and over again. That’s what I do! And so many funny and quotable lines!
Poltergeist- This is yet another movie that scared and enthralled me as a child. There was something that seemed a little close to reality in the presentation of the ghosts and haunting, and a lot of curiosity in the, well.. lets just call it for what it is: just plain goofy scenarios. I always wondered what it was like to be in the other world, were I could jump through a portal and communicate through the TV. And it was also a lot of fun to watch.
Pet Cemetery- This movie was a little taboo when I was a kid. To be more specific, Mom hated it and I was not allowed to watch it. So when I finally saw it, I was amazed. The character of the dead jogger, the creepy old neighbor, the cat Church (cats are just creepy animals anyway), and of course the cemetery. This leaves so much to the imagination and at the same time not. The cinematography was also cool and scary for what is was back in the day. I also read the book, which isn’t half bad. Check it out if you have the chance.
Hellraiser- The reason I love this movie is because of its originality. The movie took me by surprise, because it was not just a ‘monster! Kill! Kill!’ type, but the movie is about a guy who escapes from hell, and the deamons (lead by the infamous Pinhead) are released to bring him back, but the demons are taking everyone they can as well. Granted that may not be the most accurate plot description, but it has been a while since I have seen it. That and the cinematography I thought was cool, and just the ambiance of the movie gives me the willies.
Nightmare on Elm Street 1- This is mostly for the same reasons as the above movie. It took me a little by surprise, but the originality was lacking here. However, this movie had launched the infamous character of Freddy into the nightmares of American pop culture. Not to mention the character of Freddy is a little unorthodox and even funny at times. The noticeably low budget this movie was shot on I think forced the hands of the crew to be more creative with the special effects. That has given us one of the most infamous death scenes is all of horror (in my opinion) when Jonny Depp (yes, he was in it) gets sucked into the bed and the blood shoots up and pools on the ceiling. That is just plain eerie.
Freddy vs. Jason- this one goes in the dumb fun category. It takes itself a little too seriously for knowing the type of movie that it is, but still a treat to watch. Complete with all of the tacky clichés from both horror movie franchises. If you want a movie that will simply entertain, and make you chuckle at how ridiculous it is, this is for you.
Jason X- This one is on here because of the differences in the above movie. This one seems to be taking itself too seriously for what it is at first, but as the movie progresses, the inherent flaws are made light of. That is a little harder to notice if you don’t watch these types of movies often. But worth a gander and a chuckle if you have a couple of hours to kill (no pun intended!)
The Shining- One of my favorite scary movies of all time, and probably my favorite of Stephen King’s stories. This movie has given so much to pop culture, such as famous scenes, quoteable lines, and a very classic performance by Jack Nicholson. There are points in the movie when you know what is going to happen, but you are still on the edge of your seat anyway. Even when you first watch it, there are moments when you know the formula, how it should end etc., but you still question how it will end. That just brings so much more to the story.
Evil Dead 2&3- The Evil Dead movies are classics. I don’t care what you say. Poking fun at horror movies themselves, these movies are actually comedies for those of you who are not familiar with them. Brainless action, great one liners, bad/hilarious effects, ridiculous story lines and fight scenes that are only outshined by The Tree Stooges. Many tributes to this have been made to in several other movies and cartoons. They have inspired a generation of filmmakers and showed the flexibility of their director. Excellent watching. Very well done and badly done at the same time.
Interview with the Vampire- This movie I praise because of the different light that it puts vampires in, showing the world in which they live in gruesome detail. The actors brought the characters right out of the pages of Anne Rice’s classic horror novel. This is a heavily stylized and cynical film, with an odd sense of humor and emotionally heavy in the most crucial plot points. The cinematography was superior, especially right at the climax of the film, when Brad Pitt’s character goes out for vengeance. That is one of the most memorable scenes in all of horror as well (in my opinion, yet again).
Bram Stoker's Dracula- This movie was not as spectacular as the one above, but it was almost a direct adaptation of the novel. Granted, there were a few creative liberties taken, but still excellent. The book I loved, and the character of Dracula is a very cool one, surrounded in myths, and once again, contributed much to pop culture. Last but not least, there is the fantastic performance of one of my favorite actors: Gary Oldman.
The Granny- this one made the list because it is just flat terrible. The story centers around a grieving family fighting over the inheritance left to them by “Granny”. Then she returns from the dead to have her vengeance on the greedy family, and gore ensues. The best part of the film was near the end. The Granny resurrects her dead husband, who is nothing more that a skeleton covered in rotting flesh, to join her wave of violence/hilarity. Then, she kisses the corpse. I laughed at that for hours. The rest of the film had cleches abound, but still so much fun.That will do it for me today folks. My fingers are tired. I'm off to Moab tomorrow! Yay!!!
And one last thing, back to the above: we will miss you Bubbles!!!
T
No comments:
Post a Comment