Rockstar Mommy recently posted her personal list of “Island movies”, flicks she’d take with her if she was stranded on a deserted island. I thought that sounded like a fun thing to do and have been thinking up my own personal list ever since. It’s hard to narrow things down because I just love movies so much. And there’s so many different movies for so many different moods. But I think I’ve got a good list of 10 favorites that if I had to be stuck on an island (an island with a dvd player, of course), I’d be happy to have along with me.
- Moulin Rouge - Baz Luhrman isn’t for the faint of heart. I first fell in love with this filmmaker when I saw the movie “Strictly Ballroom” when I was in high school. And “Moulin Rouge” is a spectacle of music and color and costume and dance… it’s just simply fabulous. Yes, it’s cheesy. But it’s also romantic. It’s trite, but it’s also funny. It’s overdone, but it’s tragic and heartbreaking at the same time. I fell in love with Ewan McGregor in this movie. And found a whole new appreciation for Nicole Kidman too. I have listened to the soundtrack a bazillion times and adore every note. This is a fantastically fabulous guilty pleasure. The end is depressing to no end, but the whole is so much more than that.
- Office Space - I’m a firm believer that this particular flick is why shows like “The Office” are so popular and successful. And like “Moulin Rouge” made me love Ewan McGregor, this one made me love Ron Livingston. I love this movie down to each quotable moment, every goofy gangsta song on the soundtrack and every rip on the daily grind. This movie works on so many levels and I doubt there’s a single working stiff out there who can’t identify with some part of this movie. That and it’s hilarious as hell.
- O Brother, Where Art Thou? - This is actually a favorite of Kile’s more than of mine, but I still love it and could probably watch it a bazillion times quite happily. Another very quotable movie. And again, not for the faint of heart. It’s wordy and a little high-falutin’. But who cares? It doesn’t get any better than, “Oh George, not the livestock.” Or “That don’t make no sense!” or “I don’t want Fop, goddamnit, I’m a Dapper Dan man!” George Clooney and company are downright brilliant in this movie and it’s also very gorgeous to look at. Another movie where the soundtrack reigns.
- The Sweetest Thing - Oh, it’s so bawdy. And I’m not even a Cameron Diaz fan. In fact, I pretty much don’t care for her at all. But I love this movie. Don’t watch this one with your parents. Or kids. And don’t watch it on cable, unless it’s on the late night uncensored Comedy Central movie. You want to see this movie in all its foul glory. The swearing is key to the overall enjoyment, after all. It’s one of those movies I never thought I’d like but I ended up loving it. Watch for the foul-mouthed grandpa, the goofy brother and the “movie montage”. Good times.
- Finding Nemo - Yes, there’s a kid flick on here. But perhaps the best kid flick in the history of kid flicks. I never fail to be entertained by this one. I love the voice talents, I love the characters and I love the story. It’s touching, heartbreaking, funny, and overall wonderful. Another one that is beautiful to look at with all the vivid colors. It makes me feel like a kid again and I’m thinking that might be something I could use on a desert island.
- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - Okay, I’m sorta cheating here. This is three movies, rather than one, but with the boxed set I might be able to get away with calling it one, right? I never can decide which of the three I like best as there’s things about all three that I love and I don’t think any of them can rightly stand on their own without having to see the others. Imagine if I just took “The Fellowship of the Ring” and then could never enjoy the unveiling of Gandalf the White (not dead after all!) in “The Two Towers” or the final destruction of the ring in “The Return of the King”? This movie isn’t just a movie, it’s an epic. It’s lore. It’s rich and vibrant and sweeping and all the things you want from an afternoon in front of the DVD player. “What’s taters, precious?”
- The Empire Strikes Back - My favorite of all the “Star Wars” movies. Yeah, I could probably just request the trilogy like I did with LOTR, but a) I doubt I could get away with that one twice and b) I don’t need all three. And “Empire” outshines the rest by volumes and leagues. The darkest of the three original flicks, this one was where it was at. The end of that movie still just blows my mind on a regular basis. Making the fans wait for three years for the conclusion to that one was just MEAN, George Lucas!
- Titanic - And back when it came out in theaters, I wasn’t even a big Leonardo DiCaprio fan. I’m more appreciative of him now, but back then I was so annoyed at all the pre-teens who loved “Titanic” just because he was in it. I loved that movie because it was GRAND. I’ve always been fascinated by Titanic and the film was something I could revel in. It was beautiful to look at, the score was achingly beautiful and the costumes were inspiring. I loved this movie in spite of it’s popularity in theaters. Shoot, I may have liked it even better if it hadn’t been such a big hit. I can remember sobbing so hard I had a headache for hours afterward. And that there is what makes a good movie.
- Steel Magnolias - Speaking of having a sobbing headache, this one could crack an Ice Queen. And, natch, it’s funny. Nay, it’s hilarious. I’ve loved this one for many, many moons and there are large portions of it that I have devoted entirely to memory. I love the passage of time and the bitter reality of it all. Because that is how life is. It’s real and it’s bitter and it’s sweet. It’s always moving and this movie does a fantastic job of showing that.
- The Princess Bride - Speaking of classics, how can you forget this one? Everyone loves this one. Every moment is sheer genius, from “Inconceivable!” to Miracle Max to “To the pain”. Before this movie, no one knew Robin Wright (now Robin Wright Penn) or Cary Elwes, and no one appreciated Mandy Patikin’s grasp of the concept of revenge. But now they do. Shoot, you can even enjoy the snatches of a young Fred Savage as the “sick kid”. (which, when this movie came out and I was rather young and silly, I sure did enjoy) A fairy tale to end all fairy tales. Even if you don’t like fairy tales, you’ve gotta love this one.
Okay, that’s all. I could probably keep going and going. Finding more and more movies to add to my list but then I’d never get to bed. And it’s 11pm and I’m “on duty” tonight.
