Sunday, 18 May 2008

Movie meme

Nicole tagged me with this meme and, since my brain is now completely drained and I'm kinda excited because I've never been tagged before, I am going with the flow.

But before I do, I have to thank my friends the T family. Without their babysitting swaps with our family, I'd never see another movie in my life!

1. One movie that made you laugh
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, with Steve Martin and Michael Caine. And cringe, of course. But mostly laugh.

2. One movie that made you cry
Charlotte's Web. We watched it at school one time in the "withdrawl room" (Did you have those in the school you went to?) The lights were off when it was being shown and I was a mess when it ended. When they turned on the lights and made us all get up to go back to class I remember thinking, "why can't you just leave the lights off for a minute to let us all pull ourselves together first?"
And that NZ movie Once Were Warriors. It's the only movie I've been to other than The Passion of the Christ where people were actually bringing boxes of tissues with them to the cinemas. Except me. I had no idea what I was in for, I just went because a friend wanted to see it. And I really needed those tissues.

3. One movie you loved when you were a child
I only saw three movies when I was a kid: The Muppet Movie (I still remember the "fork in the road" scene), Superman (one of them, anyway, I only have very vague memories), and Footrot Flats. Oh yeah, maybe four, I think I saw ET. I don't remember loving any of them. When I was 7, my family moved to a small country town (probably 5+ hours driving to the nearest cinema) and we didn't have a video player until I was in my teens.

4. One movie you’ve seen more than once
Grease. I used to watch it every school holidays when my best friend (whose video and video player it was) came home from boarding school. I watched it again a few years back and couldn't believe how much talk about s*x there was in that movie!

5. One movie you loved, but were embarrassed to admit it
Kiss or Kill. Well, Jeff's embarassed that I like it. It's a homespun Australian movie, and much of it was shot in the country town where I spend my later childhood and adolescence. Actually, it's a car chase movie, and my best friend's parents 4WD was one of the cars they used - if you ever see it, their car is the one which gets its back window shot out. And another schoolmate's parents own one of the roadhouses they stop at, and - you get the picture. It's got some great lines "Actually, I'm Jewish." and I love recognising places I saw so often when I grew up.

6. One movie you hated
Fargo. Although, I have to admit I've only seen the first 10min or so. Jeff tell's me it gets better but those first 10 minutes just made me so angry!

7. One movie that scared you
Jesus Camp. It awed me that these people have so much motivation but that they are so misdirected in the way they are teaching these kids to relate to God - it just made me feel frustrated, and determined to do better by my kids.

8. One movie that bored you
Ummm - I don't watch boring movies. When would I find the time to waste like that?
Actually, there was one. Sunday Too Far Away. It's an old Australian movie starring Jack Thompson which was apparently shot in part at (what was then) my uncle and aunt's sheep station, and apparently my aunt walks by in the background of one of the shots. It's about the sheep shearer's strike of 1956. I didn't manage to notice my aunt the first time I watched it and I am never putting myself through that again, even if my Dad swears she's in it. (Please don't tell Dad this, Mum!) In case you're wondering, Dad gave me the DVD. Now it sits forlornly at the very bottom of our DVD pile.

9. One movie that made you happy
It has to be the one and only Princess Bride. Ever since I saw it for the first time when I was at Uni. "A fairy tale like no other, of fencing, fighting, torture, poison, true love, hate, revenge, giants, hunters, bad men, good men, beautifulest ladies, snakes, spiders, beasts, chases, escapes, lies, truths, passion and miracles." Who could ask for more on a rainy afternoon?

10. One movie that made you miserable
Rosencrantz and Guildernstern are dead. It was a play (by Tom Stoppard) before it was a movie but I've never read the play script. This is another movie I first saw while I was at Uni, and I love it. Especially the tennis court scene: "Objection! Rhetorical!" Right up until the end. Which is the whole point of the movie, I guess, that someone has to die for no reason - have you read Othello?

11. One movie you weren’t brave enough to see
The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Jeff has it on DVD. He considers it an interesting consideration of the problems of getting atheists to believe that there is a spiritual dimension to reality. I just think it's too scary to even be in the same house when he's watching it.

12. One movie character you’ve fallen in love with
Lalita in Bride and Prejudice. I know, I know, she's a girl. I don't mean that kind of love. But she's just so witty. And she sticks to her principles like superglue. I wish I was like that! And besides, she's a product (well, a sort of step-product) of the mind of Jane Austen. Who could wish for a better heroine?

13. The last movie you saw
Fool's Gold. And before that, it was National Treasure II. I like action movies. Especially the way my husband will go to them with me and hold my hand and not complain too much when I give my own running commentary. It's so beautiful!
Okay, I admit, I cheated on that one. Those are the last movies I saw at the cinemas. The last movies I saw are The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins and Pollyanna. With the kids, in case you're wondering.

14. The next movie you hope to see
I'm not sure. But we've got another date night this Friday so maybe I'd better get thinking. Something where Jeff will hold my hand...

I tag Andrea and Jean, if you've got nothing else burning inside you waiting to be blogged about. And Mrs Edwards, if you do stuff like this.

2 comments:

Nicole said...

Great list!

I hated Fargo the first time too, then really liked it the second time round when I watched it with Dave a few years later.

Andrea said...

Oooo...I love movies! BK my dh and I used to watch everything that came out. This should be a fun one to do (when I can get to it *snickersnicker*)!
Princess Bride is a fave but I've never seen Fargo...

Andrea