Five Favorite Films

I may not have expected Mark's reaction to A Little Princess this evening, but I've seen the film enough times to know how I'll react. It's easily one of my favorite films of all time. I had already latched onto it well before Emma was a twinkle in anyone's eye. I'm all the more committed now that I have a daughter.

I sat down earlier this evening to list my five favorite films. Without hesitation, these three came to mind (in no particular order or preference):

A Little Princess
Cry the Beloved Country
Twelve Angry Men

The next two were harder to select. I needed a comedy, so I decided upon Monty Python & The Holy Grail. (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure was hard to turn down.) My fifth choice, Wait Until Dark, is a great thriller especially if you want your date to keep a tight hold on you.

I'm not a big fan of soliciting feedback, but I'll make an exception here. Leave a comment listing your five favorite films. How are you supposed to decide? These are the films you would grab if your house is on fire. Thelma pointed out that she wouldn't be grabbing movies if our house was on fire, so you may want to imagine some other crisis.

Comments

Thelma said…

I don't know. What criteria should I use? Why have I spent so much of my life thinking about this? Should I choose sentimental favorites like Hello Dolly and Music Man and Holiday Inn? Should I choose smart romantic comedies like the Ephron sisters turn out? (Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail) Or the soul soaring favorites like Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre? Then I can't discount the silly movies that tickle me to no end. The Emperor's New Groove, Groundhog Day, The Princess Bride, Nacho Libre...how will I ever decide? How about I pick 5 movies I'd toss into the fire? I could make a lovely bonfire.

August 26, 2008 at 8:18 PM

Driving East

I will wake up tomorrow morning, on Father’s Day, alone in Cheyenne without my family. I say this matter-of-factly. Designated days have only a light hold on me. An unexpected business trip that means being gone on Father’s Day? No problem. I'm not much for ceremony. More than once we have marked Father’s Day by splurging for a hotdog at Costco while filling up the minivan on a road trip. (Surely, Cheyenne has a Costco.) If I wake up emotional tomorrow morning, it's not because I'm alone on Father’s Day. It will be because of the cocktail of emotions I drank today. —— Driving across Wyoming was beautiful. Everything below the horizon looked groomed and green. The grass, the hills. the forests. A sea of green dusted with flecks of distant snowfields and antelope. (So many antelope.) Above the horizon, wild white and stormy black scratched across brilliant blue. The kind of sea and sky that softens your heart and tricks your mind. I pulled off the highway at Little America f

Three Wonders

I know the tradition began earlier, but I associate it with the Carmen Red Oldsmobile station wagon. There was also the Toyota van, but the Oldsmobile days were the magic ones. Over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we would literally go. (Also through the valley, past the waterfalls, over the hill, and along the lake.) Neilan family Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's house. The house where my mom was raised, where aunts, uncles, and cousins were just a few houses or blocks away. The two story house where on any ordinary day you entered directly into the kitchen, sat at the kitchen table, and just listened to my mom and her parents talk as an assortment of her brothers would inevitably call or stop by. But on Christmas Eve, the house was already packed to the brim with family, presents, food, and laughter. So much laughter. It was a wonderland as a child to be surrounded by people who loved you and were excited to see you. The house was warm and the large w

Block Facebook Ads with CSS

(This is my experience evaluating Facebook for my daughter. It turned into a technical exercise in CSS. If you want the full narrative, read on. If you just want the steps for using CSS to block ads on Facebook, jump ahead .) Emma asked permission to create a Facebook account so she can keep in touch with some of her cousins and friends. Emma has been very responsible using our family computer and does a good job keeping our rules about what to do and how to behave online. So, Thelma and I decided that it was probably OK once I had a chance to check out and become familiar with the privacy settings and parental controls. Even though I work for an online business and Facebook is a frequent topic of conversation when it comes to reaching out to and retaining online customers, I have to admit that I have rarely used the service. I created an account for business purposes to become a "fan" of a client so I could keep tabs on some social marketing campaigns. That's it.

Mowing the Lawn

Search This Blog