A friend from college got me in the habit of saving my movie ticket stubs, and I have a glass mug stuffed with them, going back to the very early `90s. I’ve never really kept a running yearly tally before, however, until I was encouraged by my pal Brent, who keeps his own tally of those sort of things. So here’s my list of movies seen (in theaters) in 2007:
Amazing Grace
300
Shooter
Blades of Glory
In the Land of Women
Knocked Up
Ocean’s 13
Surf’s Up
Ratatouille
Live Free or Die Hard
Transformers
The Bourne Ultimatum
Superbad
3:10 to Yuma
The Kingdom
Michael Clayton
Fred Claus
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium
No Country for Old Men
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Alvin and the Chipmunks
My pick for best movie? It’s a really tough call to just pick one as the best overall. From a purely cinematic perspective, I’d have to go with No Country for Old Men. I laughed the most during Blades of Glory. For a book adaptation, Shooter was pretty good, though like most book adaptations, it falls short of what can be crammed in to two hours on screen. The worst movie I saw was Superbad; I guess if I were thirteen, I would’ve enjoyed it more, but given that I liked Knocked Up, and to a lesser degree Walk Hard, all by the same crew, perhaps it wasn’t just my age that was a factor. I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, 3:10 to Yuma, Ratatouille, Surf’s Up, and Transformers.
Best movie? A tie, simply because they’re such totally different movies, and my favorites for two vastly different reasons. The Bourne Ultimatum is just flat-out entertaining, visually appealing, a real “thrill ride” as the critics would say. I was initially skeptical five years ago of Matt Damon taking on the role of Jason Bourne, but he took it and ran with it, owning the role. He is Jason Bourne. Though the movies have little in common with the plot lines of the books, they are still among my favorite action thrillers.
The second movie in the tie is Amazing Grace. William Wilberforce showed how one can positively affect the cultural and political culture while remaining grounded in faith in Jesus Christ. His efforts toward ending the slave trade the British Empire was engaged in paved the way for slavery’s abolition in the United States, and continues to be an inspiration to this day. Slavery still exists in our modern world, though the euphemism “human trafficking” is the nom du jour. Amazing Grace is a reminder the battle for human freedom and dignity still goes on.
Tag: movie
I received this e-mail from a neighbor. It’s one of those things where you read their answers, then fill in your own and pass it on to the people you’d like to hear back from. Seeing as how while most of you will be getting ready for work or what-have-you this morning while I’m undergoing prep for surgery to get “unscrewed”, I won’t be in much of a blogging mood, and thought I’d leave this here for you to enjoy.
Please feel free to leave your own answers in the comments, or post to your own blog and link to it in the comments. Merry Christmas!
Welcome to the 2007 Holiday Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends! You know the drill. Don’t be a scrooge! Fill it out, pass it on, blah blah blah. I would love to hear your answers.
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
This time of year, I have to go with the nog. I can get hot chocolate any time.
2. Does Santa wrap the presents or just sit them under the tree?
Growing up, Santa just left stuff under the tree, or on the coach next to the tree, etc. Since then, he seems to have upgraded his process, as the gifts he leaves are now wrapped.
3. Colored or white lights?
I prefer white, though I do enjoy the colored lights when they’re done well.
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Nope. I’m already kissing the person I want to kiss the most.
5. When do you put your decorations up?
We have no hard and fast rules on this one. The tree just went up this weekend, and the lights were put on last night.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
Can I go with the nog again?
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
The older gentlemen, Mr. Gridley, who lived next door to my grandparents, would dress as Santa and come over to hand out our presents when we did Christmas at their house. As a child, having Santa right there, handing you the presents he’d brought all the way from the North Pole? Incredible.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I’d have to check with my folks, but it was likely somewhere around ten or eleven years of age. I overheard some other boys talking about, and I confronted my parents with the information. They told me the truth, but swore me to secrecy, as my sister, five years younger than I, still believed.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
That usually depends on where we might be, but generally, yes.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
White lights, with ornaments from my childhood, plus some that were gifts from my mother-in-law, my mom, and my grandmothers. They’re pretty much all personal momentos of one sort or another. No tinsel or garland. Pretty simple, the way we like it.
11. Snow: Love it or hate it?
Love it, just because, growing up in south Louisiana, and now living in north Texas, we don’t see snow often.
12. Can you ice skate?
Nope. Heck, I barely remember how to roller skate!
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
So many were favorites at so many different times of my life, I really couldn’t say.
14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Spending time with the family. It’s great to see Christmas through the eyes of a child–my son–once again.
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
A tie between my grandmother’s chocolate pie, and my grandmother’s lemon pie. The tie is always broken by having a slice of each.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Watching my son open his presents on Christmas morning.
17. What is on top of your tree?
An angel.
18. Which do you like best giving or receiving?
Definitely the giving, though I won’t lie and say the receiving–especially when it’s something from my carefully assembled wish list–comes in a close second. Hey, at least I’m honest.
19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
I’m a sucker for a well done “What Child is This?”, and I also love “Joy To The World” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”.
20. Do you like candy canes?
To eat? Not really, but I don’t mind them otherwise.
21. What is your favorite Christmas movie?
Technically not a movie, but I love “A Charlie Brown Christmas”
[From Lee, via IM]
So sayeth Jeff Harrell, upon the realization that Ratatouille opens nationwide today as well.
For my Blades of Glory homies, the Ninja interviews Jon Heder and Will Ferrell. Boom!
Nearly three months since it was ordered, I received my Valentine’s Day gift today. (Thanks again, sweetheart!) The original Star Wars trilogy on DVD; not just the Special Edition versions, mind you, but the original theatrical versions as well, something Star Wars purists have been clamoring for for well over a decade.
In honor of my revisiting the film which made such an impact on me as a child, I decided to note the first words spoken by major characters in Star Wars: A New Hope, in the order in which they appear. Enjoy!
First words of the movie, spoken by C3PO: “Did you hear that? They shut down the main reactor. We’ll be destroyed for sure! This is madness!”
R2-D2: (Responding to C3PO) Whistling chirps.
Darth Vader: “Where are those transmissions you interecepted? What have you done with those plans?”
Princess Leia: “Darth Vader. Only you could be so bold. The Imperial Senate will not sit still for this. When they hear you attacked a diplomatic…”
Luke Skywalker: “Doesn’t look like we have much of a choice but I’ll remind him!”
Obi-Wan Kenobi: “Hello there.”
Grand Mof Tarkin: “The Imperial Senate will no longer be of any concern to us. I’ve just received word the Emperor has dissolved the council, permanently. The last remnants of the old Republic have been swept away.”
Chewbacca: (soft grunts, responding to Kenobi) “Mmm. Mmm.”
Han Solo: “Han Solo. I’m captain of the Millenium Falcon. Chewie here tells me you’re looking for passage to the Alderaan system.”
Last night, the missus had a work-related dinner to attend, so it was a guy night in the phisch bowl. The little phisch consumed mixed veggies and fish sticks (the irony of this statement is not lost on me), whereas I consumed mixed veggies with leftover red beans & rice. And we watched Star Wars.
The first attempt at the viewing with my son of the movie which made such a tremendous impression upon me when I was six was met with some…boredom. He knew who some of the characters were, after all. I don’t think you can know me at all, or swim in this tank we call home, without encountering, in some random, non-deliberate fashion, characters from the Star Wars universe. But we never really made it through that first viewing of the movie. Not together, anyway. While he decided he was bored and went off to play with Thomas on the train table, or roll Lightning McQueen around the floor, I finished watching the movie.
Because, c’mon, it’s Star Wars.
I’m not sure what changed between then and now. Perhaps it was my receiving the entire Star Wars Mr. Potato Head collection for my birthday this past December. Darth Tater, Storm Tater, and R2 Tater have all occupied a place of semi-honor in the formal dining room, and the little phisch has been allowed to play with them. We’ve read this Luke Skywalker children’s book I picked up two years ago at the Friends of the Flower Mound Library fund raiser. But we haven’t really talked about the movie all that much.
So I was pleased when I was greeted with a enthusiastic response after suggesting Star Wars last night. After dinner, we enjoyed watching about an hour of it.
He asked a lot of questions. A lot. I’m not sure I can begin to describe the totality of “a lot of questions” to those of you who do not have three year-old boys.
Bed time was approaching, and we agreed to stop the movie after an upcoming scene. The missus arrived home just about that time, the movie was stopped, and the bedtime rituals commenced.
The payoff came this morning.
I stumbled downstairs, where the missus and little phisch were already eating breakfast, and on the TV I’m greeted by…Star Wars. Han and Luke are firing down the detention bay while Leia’s already diving in to the garbage chute, and Chewie’s complaining about the smell.
I’m informed, “Daddy, those are stormtroopers!”
I smiled, gave him a pat on the head, and turned so the missus wouldn’t see the tears welling up. It’s done. He’s converted.
Oh, I forgot to mention he wants his own lightsaber now. He told me last night.
Where are the tissues?