Ten Things Tuesday - Surprise!

I cached all these posts this weekend to dole out to the "intarweb" over the week. I was feeling really quite smug about the whole operation. I forgot about Ten Things Tuesday, though. What does that mean for you? Immediacy! This post will not have been crafted and tuned over the course of a couple of viewings and lovingly passed on to you at the exact right moment in time. Nope this one is coming right out of the shoot like a bull and you're a particularly inept Rodeo Clown. Get in the barrel people, here comes some content!

Ten.....er.....things....that....um....well....I...............

OK, no I've got it! Ten things I've....

OK, no, too immediate, no barrel is going to protect you from that.

You know what, I'm going old school.

Ten movies I love to distraction.

1. The Sure Thing. John Cusack in a road movie. Anthony Edwards with hair! It was the movie of my high school years, I could have quoted the whole thing to you at one point and I still quote it extensively. If you ever wonder what in flaming hell I'm talking about go see this movie.

2. Secretary. It's weird and I'm pretty sure there are a lot of people in my circle who would have to turn it off but if you embrace the message it's the kind of love story I wish for my life. It's about admitting that who you are isn't maybe right or sometimes even good and learning to love it anyway.

3. Fight Club. It's bloody and gory but at the core it's about how foolishly bloody and gory our generation has become. We're all flailing around looking for meaning and bollixing up everything we touch in the process. Also a little Wizard of Oz in there, because the meaning we're looking for is pretty much right in our own back yard if we ever bothered to turn off the TV to go out there and look.

4. Kramer vs. Kramer. I loved it when it first came out but I didn't really understand it. I re-watched it this past year and found that I love it even more because I can empathize with all the parts of the story. Also, Meryl Streep in a relatively short but truly grand performance.

5. Gallipoli. Just kills me every time. It's a beautiful story and one of the few Mel Gibson movies that I used to love and can still stand knowing what I know about him now.

6. Star Wars. No, I actually don't think Empire Strikes Back is the better movie. I like the original and I love that he went ahead and shot it even though most of what he envisioned wasn't ready. I find the half-reality of that original cantina far more compelling than any of the strange and wonderful galaxies he subsequently created.

7. Bring It On. I know. I know. Everyone needs a couple of guilty pleasures and there's something about this that I love. Cheerleaders! Grand theft cheer! Spanky pants! What's not to love?

8. Mystery, Alaska. Written by David E. Kelley but I already loved it before I knew that. It's a sports movie, it's about the underdogs, it's about hockey, it's a glorious ensemble cast and, while I wouldn't call it realistic exactly, it doesn't go overboard into fantasy land. "Ladies and gentlemen I give you The New York Rangers!"

9. Aliens. Note the plural. In this case I like the (first) sequel better. Sigourney Weaver plays a glorious heroine who is realistic enough to be afraid and maternal enough to be brave and she kicks some alien ass! When I first saw this as a teenager it really pushed the boundaries of what I could tolerate in terms of horror and suspense and I've come to love it both in spite and because of that.

10. Four Weddings and a Funeral. I came late to this party. I don't think I saw it all the way through until it was already well past its TV debut. I don't so much like the Hugh Grant/Andie MacDowell storyline, I love this for the rest of the cast. Kristen Scott Thomas' smoldering version of a pining friend makes my heart ache and the poem that the young lover reads at the funeral never fails to make me cry. It's a beautifully crafted film because I'm sure it was sold to the Powers That Be on the strength of 2 stars playing star crossed lovers and that strength is the weakest link in a gorgeous chain of a story.