Desert Island Part 1
Remember the episode of The Office, Season 2 "The Fire?" Everyone's hanging out in the parking lot waiting for the fire department to do their thing, so they play "Desert Island" to pass the time. On our 14 hour drive home from Colorado, we used this game to pass the time/stay awake between the hours of 1AM and 3AM while our kids slept in the backseat. We attempted to stick with Jim's rules: 3 books, 5 movies that you could bring with you if you were stranded on a deserted island--apparently stranded permanently or at least indefinitely because he said, "These are the movies you will watch FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE." I don't know why, but I took this assignment very seriously. I determined to make my choices with the wisest precision.
I needed criteria for narrowing the candidates, and landed on these components that, for me, make up my favorite movies: A.) Character growth B.) Good vs. evil struggle with good triumphing C.) Based on actual events--which I find most inspiring D.) Enjoyment E.) Rewatchability--needs to be one I can watch again and again and not get sick of it. F.) Killer soundtrack, music is important to me, so I wanted to maximize my pleasure in isolation by having good soundtracks G.)Romance is a plus, but only if the film has the above mentioned qualities because the romantic movie without them might be fun, but the warm-fuzzies are fleeting and I'd rather see a movie rich in substance w/o romance than vice versa.
Here are my final choices--
Movies:
1. The Sound of Music--the immediate and easiest choice. Far and away my favorite movie of all time. Don't box it in by only thinking of Do-Re-Mi on a hillside. This movie has it all. 10 Stars in Every. Single. Category.
2. Walk the Line. High marks across the board for this as well. And now on my island, I've got Rodgers & Hammerstein AND Johnny Cash--my top 2 pandora stations right there.
3. Remember the Titans. Real life sports movies = awesome. This is my fave--good vs. evil, humor, growth, great music.
4. Back to the Future. Ok, ok, so what it lacks in character development and true-life-inspiration, it makes up for in my enjoyment. It gets the highest score in my rewatchability category since I began re-watching it as a child on my babysitter's VHS copy. Now on Blu-ray, it is my and Karl's standard date-night-at-home movie, and we laugh and enjoy EVERY time.
5. Hitch.--I spent a lot of time pondering this last slot. I wanted to select something from the classic list of movies. Something epic and unforgettable. But when honest with myself, I really think I want this movie. I don't even own it, but every time it comes on TBS, I look forward to it. "Yes! It's a Hitch weekend!" I can't not laugh at Kevin James, and it's not a shallow romance like I referenced earlier. The growth of Will Smith and Eva Mendes's characters is endearing, and the more I watch it, the richer it gets. Plus, it's really clean--so rare in a modern-day romantic comedy. You know you want to sing along: "People all over the world, start a love-train..."
Ok, it's getting late, and my contacts are blurring. I think I'll share my Desert Island selections in installments. More to come. What are your desert island movies?
Desert Island Part 2
I needed criteria for narrowing the candidates, and landed on these components that, for me, make up my favorite movies: A.) Character growth B.) Good vs. evil struggle with good triumphing C.) Based on actual events--which I find most inspiring D.) Enjoyment E.) Rewatchability--needs to be one I can watch again and again and not get sick of it. F.) Killer soundtrack, music is important to me, so I wanted to maximize my pleasure in isolation by having good soundtracks G.)Romance is a plus, but only if the film has the above mentioned qualities because the romantic movie without them might be fun, but the warm-fuzzies are fleeting and I'd rather see a movie rich in substance w/o romance than vice versa.
Here are my final choices--
Movies:
1. The Sound of Music--the immediate and easiest choice. Far and away my favorite movie of all time. Don't box it in by only thinking of Do-Re-Mi on a hillside. This movie has it all. 10 Stars in Every. Single. Category.
2. Walk the Line. High marks across the board for this as well. And now on my island, I've got Rodgers & Hammerstein AND Johnny Cash--my top 2 pandora stations right there.
3. Remember the Titans. Real life sports movies = awesome. This is my fave--good vs. evil, humor, growth, great music.
4. Back to the Future. Ok, ok, so what it lacks in character development and true-life-inspiration, it makes up for in my enjoyment. It gets the highest score in my rewatchability category since I began re-watching it as a child on my babysitter's VHS copy. Now on Blu-ray, it is my and Karl's standard date-night-at-home movie, and we laugh and enjoy EVERY time.
5. Hitch.--I spent a lot of time pondering this last slot. I wanted to select something from the classic list of movies. Something epic and unforgettable. But when honest with myself, I really think I want this movie. I don't even own it, but every time it comes on TBS, I look forward to it. "Yes! It's a Hitch weekend!" I can't not laugh at Kevin James, and it's not a shallow romance like I referenced earlier. The growth of Will Smith and Eva Mendes's characters is endearing, and the more I watch it, the richer it gets. Plus, it's really clean--so rare in a modern-day romantic comedy. You know you want to sing along: "People all over the world, start a love-train..."
Ok, it's getting late, and my contacts are blurring. I think I'll share my Desert Island selections in installments. More to come. What are your desert island movies?
Desert Island Part 2
