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Monday 25 July 2011

Life Transitions and Safety Blankets

I'm ready. Come and get me, Universe!

Another Monday, another movies day on my blog.

I won’t lie to you, I’m kinda beat, so I can’t go into the Zelda compilation, and I was going to blog about my top 5 love stories on screen, but I might not do it justice today. I just want to sit back, relax, and stare at my beach photos and play with them on Photoshop.

I told you some people never want to let go of something good in their life. So my clinging to the whole beach experience might continue for a few days. And here’s why: I don’t have work documents, I have just graduated and supposed to find a job (without said documents), and I’ve no permanent address in a country that is not my own. So… things are definitely undecided.

And these are the days I reach for my safety blankets: Gilmore Girls, my favorite authors, and all kinds of movies. Those things make me feel safe, without fail. So this week I’m reading Stephen King (The Dead Zone); I have GG on repeat; I’m putting my luggage together, and trying not to freak out like I used to do a couple years ago. Because now that I am 24 it feels slightly ridiculous to have full-blown freak outs since there’s nothing solid to fall back on, like school or a roof over my head.

But don’t you worry about me. I don’t feel as if my life’s out of control or anything… it just looks like a blank slate right now. And sometimes those are a blessing. So all I need now are some good movies to stock up and take on my journey with me (apart from all 7 seasons of GG).

This is where you lovely people come in. I have made a list of my to-watch movies by years from 2010 to 2007 (small steps). If you have watched any of these movies, let me know if you liked them so I’d know what’s worth checking out and what’s not. I know these things are subjective, but I’d like to hear from you anyway. It might take my mind off things.

And if you have any perspective, I guess that’s fine too. :)



2010
Book of Eli
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
The American
Never Let Me Go
Monsters
127 Hours
Morning Glory
Tangled
Rabbit Hole
True Grit

2009
Last Chance Harvey
New in Town
Race to Witch Mountain
Wolverine
Up
Hurt Locker
Ice Age 3
District 9
Inglorious Basterds
9
Men Who Stare at Goats
The Fourth Kind
Precious
Mr. Nobody

2008
Penelope
Smart People
The Life Before Her Eyes
Kung-fu Panda
Mamma Mia
Burn after Reading
Changeling
Bolt
Revolutionary Road

2007
Bridge to Terabithia
Hairspray
Once
Lars and the Real Girl
Waitress 
Grace Is Gone

No Country for Old Men
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly


21 comments:

Gabe (Ava Jae) said...

First of all, hang in there! I send you lots of hugs!

Second, I watch a lot of movies. Like, a lot. So I've seen quite a few on that list. And I'll tell you about the ones I've seen. Since, you know, you asked. :)

127 Hours--I LOVE James Franco. He's such an exceptionally good actor and he performs spectacularly here. It's just seriously painful to watch...especially a said particularly painful ending. I still cringe thinking about it.

Race to Witch Mountain--I saw it on a plane ride. It was ok. Typical Disney movie. Entertaining since I was trapped in a plane.

Wolverine--You mean Origins, right? Omg, LOVE. But mostly because my two favorite X-Men (Gambit and Deadpool) are in it. So they butcher X-Men history which is a little sad but if you haven't watched it, it's definitely entertaining.

Up--Definitely watch it. Pixar (as usual) did an incredible job. It's funny and the animations are beautiful. Highly recommended if you like Pixar's previous movies.

Kung-Fu Panda--Ha ha, oh Kung-Fu Panda. It's pretty amusing. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but hey it's a kid's movie and it's cute.

Changeling--Ok I actually just saw this one not too long ago. It's a good movie, but it's kind of disturbing--scratch that, very disturbing. At least it was to me. There's a very dark twist in it that I wasn't expecting. So if you're not particularly sensitive to disturbing images/scenarios, go for it. Angelina Jolie does a brilliant job.

Bridge to Terabithia--So sad! I won't say why, though. I thought it was a pretty decent movie. Again, it's a kid's movie, but it's worth watching once, I think.

Ok, so I only saw six on your list, but STILL. Anyway, enjoy your movies. I look forward to seeing what you think of them! :)

Anonymous said...

How sad am I...I've seen three on the list:

Hairspray
Kung Fu Panda
Waitress

The first two were "meh" for me.

Waitress I liked. And in some ways hated. But also loved. I have a complicated relationship with that movie apparently. :)

Danielle Raye Zeissig said...

Up is a definite must watch-you will definitely be Up-lifted after watching it:)

Lars and the Real Girl-interesting and sweet-definitely interesting to the pschologist in anyone

Inglorious Basterds-i <3 Quentin Tarantino and he didnt disappoint w/this one-you never see whats coming next-at least I didnt and its laugh out loud good and sometimes a bit shocking-it leaves you wishing it was a true story:)

Hope this helps!

Angela Wallace said...

We're in the same boat floating our way out of limbo (hopefully). :-) Good luck!

Tangled--YES! Love that movie. The songs are great too.

Race to Witch Mountain and Ice Age 3 were *shrug* okay. Entertaining for those two hours. (The original Race to Witch Mountain was better.)

Kung Fu Panda--I actually really liked it. *guilty smile* It made me laugh. Laughter is good.

Bolt--cute.

Bridge to Terabithia--great movie, but you will cry.

Happy watching!

Anonymous said...

Stay strong Violeta. Hope everything works out for you.

Movies

Book of Eli, No Country for Old Men, District 9 and Hurt Locker are all excellent.

Inglorious Bastards and Up are very good.

Bridge to Terabithia is not what it appears to be. It is actually a movie about dealing with the death of a childhood friend while a child. I would like to see the person that marketed it as a childs adventure publically whipped...

Enjoy the movies.
Men who stare at goats and 9 are okay.

Marjorie McAtee said...

"Lars and the Real Girl" was one of the best movies I've ever seen. "True Grit" was good too. "Waitress" was alright, I think that was Andy Griffith's final performance (not sure).

"The Fourth Kind" SUCKED. Don't watch that one.

My two cents. You're welcome ;)

M.R. Merrick said...

Okay, I watch A LOT of movies, but I'm pretty behind right now. From the ones I have seen, these are my thoughts, but please be advised, my taste in movies is disagreeable to many LOL.

2010
Book of Eli – Loved it.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Loved it. Really made me laugh.
Tangled – Loved it. Hilarious. The chameleon is my favorite.


2009
Wolverine - Meh, definitely the worst X-Men movie thus far.
Up - Meh, didn't really care for this one.
Ice Age 3 – Loved it, but I loved all the Ice Age flicks.
District 9 - Good
Men Who Stare at Goats - DISLIKE. I actually couldn't finish this one.

2008
Kung-fu Panda – Thoroughly enjoyed
Burn after Reading - DISLIKE. I like it until it ended and I realized it was a movie about nothing.
Changeling – Weird, but in a good way. I enjoyed this.
Bolt – Very good


2007
Bridge to Terabithia – I Loved this one.
Hairspray – Had trouble getting through this

No Country for Old Men – Awesome, but it angered me for reasons I will not rant about here.

M.R. Merrick said...

Also, what genelempp said about Bridge to Terabithia is true. The marketer does indeed deserve a giant #TROUTSLAP.

Leslie S. Rose said...

Not to worry about freak outs. They drive us to interesting places. Embrace the freak out! I like your movie list - I need to check a lot of those out as well. Here are my must sees:
TANGLED - I dare you not to cry
DISTRICT 9 - Wholly original
MAMMA MIA - I dare you not to sing
HAIRSPRAY - Worth John Travolta and Christopher Walken's duet alone!
WOLVERINE - Hello! Hugh Jackman in tight clothing.
(I am an x-men nerd as well)

Anonymous said...

Book of Eli was wonderful! It's even better on the 2nd. viewing.

Elaine Lowe said...

*hugs*
Immigration policy sucks.
I have only see two movies on the list, as I never get to see many movies at al, though I love them (babysitting for autistic child is very hard to come by)
But Bolt is one of my son's favorite all time movies, and very well done. I loved it.
Mamma Mia is like a wonderful train wreak. It's crony as all hell and some people in it should never, ever, ever sing (Pierce Brosnan) but it is fun and enjoyable.

mikelandrews said...

As an expert with 7 years cumulative video rental experience, I feel I can comment on this.

BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA and 9 are must-sees.

BOOK OF ELI got terrible reviews, but alas I couldn't bring myself to watch it.

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID is by far the funniest film of all time. Incredible!

THE FOURTH KIND will give you plenty of restless nights.

All in all, a good list! :)

Unknown said...

I've seen a bunch of movies on this list, however the one that struck me the most, that I absolutely love (and no one else has commented on) is Penelope. I think it's a brilliant film and definitely worth watching.

Paige Kellerman said...

UP - if you wanna cry your eyes out for the first ten minutes or so (word to the wise, if you think you might be pregnant, don't watch this movie. You'll cry rivers and your husband will think you've gone insane.)

No Country For Old Men - Loved this movie. Good for deep thoughts and chewing on thematic elements for days.

True Grit - Worth watching
Nine- Ugh..
Book of Eli - Not bad

Lars and the Real Girl - Good... and an excellent choice if you've started a crying marathon with "Up" already.

Stacy said...

Great list! Sorry you're feeling down. Hope you bounce back soon.

Up - wonderful movie for kids and adults
True Grit - Really want to see it.

The Fourth Kind is definitely weird and makes you think.

Parnormal Entity is the scariest movie I've seen in a long time. Beats Paranormal Activity by a mile. It's on Netflix.

jamilajamison said...

Oooh this is a great list. Let's see here...

127 Hours: Excellent film. James Franco really killed it in this one, and the tension.... sheesh. Let's say that I'm really glad I smuggled a beer into the theater, 'cause I needed that drink by the end.

Book of Eli: Okay, not great, though there are some interesting moments, and the twist at the end isn't bad.

New In Town: I liked this movie better than I expected. Not as terrible as most romantic comedies I've seen lately, and while it isn't brilliant, it was a fun watch.

Wolverine: Okay, so I haven't actually watched it, but it just looked so bad, and all of my friends who are X-Men fans hated it. If you are a stickler for comic book continuity, etc, I'd avoid it, but if you aren't, then you might not be so offended. (For the record, this is the only Hugh Jackman film that I refuse to watch on principle).

Up: Oh god, SEE it, please. I was weeping within the first 15 minutes. So. Good.

District 9: I loved this movie, although my sociologically-minded colleagues had many, many critiques of the film. Still, ignoring issues of race and apartheid and whatnot, I thought it was an excellent sci-fi/action flick, and one that left me feeling really creeped out (but in a good way) for days afterwards.

Inglorious Basterds: Lots of violence, lots of things blowing up. It's a revenge fantasy and it's bloody, but it also has Tarantino's trademark gallows humor. I really liked it, though it's not a film I'd watch more than once (unless it is to see Michael Fassbender speaking German, of course).

Men Who Stare at Goats: If I remember correctly, this was kind of crazy and ridiculous and awesome.

Burn After Reading: I think this is another Coen brothers film, like Men Who Stare at Goats. Again, crazy and weird and hilarious (Brad Pitt as a gym worker? He is soooo awesome).

Mamma Mia: Cute, fun. My mom really loves this movie, but I couldn't get past Pierce Brosnan trying to sing.

Once: Another movie that I really love, and the soundtrack, IMO, is just beautiful.

Jennie Bennett said...

Wow, I'm late on the comment train. Yesterday was a holiday here so today I'm playing catch up. Anyway I haven't read the other comments so I'm just going to give you my two cents anyway.

Tangled - loved it! Cute story and great music.

Just adding Diary of a Wimpy Kid and True Grit to my netflix list so I'll you know.

New in Town was dumb, don't bother wasting your time - the same old romance about saving the town, blah.

Wolverine was decent, but not my favorite and I'm a big X-men fan. Still worth a watch though.

Everyone loved UP. I Liked the first quarter but then I was crying so hard I had no emotion left for the rest of the story, which I felt was pointless after the first quarter, so judge that one for yourself.

Penelope is a MUST SEE!!!

Kung-Fu Panda is hilarious, especially if you like Jack Black.

Mamma Mia, HATED the story LOVED the music.

Hairspray, okay story, GREAT music, and funny from time to time.

Lars and the Real Girl - amazing and emotional.

T.M. Frazier said...

I love all movies even bad ones. I really didn't like Bridge to Terabithia. But watch all the other ones! : )

Unknown said...

Wow, thanks everyone!

I am now fervently taking notes on these movies. I am shocked about Bridge to Terabithia, but also intrigued.

I see Up is an all-round favorite, so I'm gonna watch it tomorrow, yay!

Basically, anything that you guys labeled funny and emotional, I'll be watching this coming week. I hope I'll have enough time to see them all, sheesh.

Thanks again! It seems I've had this amazing source for movies and I didn't even know it: all you lovely peeps. I won't hesitate to ask again, you're all too kind! <3

Katie Dunn said...

Book of Eli - I loved this movie! It's more of a character driven movie than a plot driven movie, but there is a pretty good twist.
Tangled - I make my kids watch it on a regular basis as an excuse to watch it myself... LOVE IT!! (My daughter is watching it as I type this)
Race to Witch Mountain - It was okay. That's it.
Wolverine - Good action, cute guys, hot chicks... Nothing else.
District 9 - All I have to say is WOW... In a really good way!
Inglorious Basterds - I am not a Quentin Tarantino fan... I loved Kill Bill Vol 1, was okay with Vol. 2, hated every other one (yes, including Pulp Fiction), but this one was AWESOME!!
Men Who Stare at Goats - George Clooney's usual quirky character choice (Think O Brother, Where Art Thou). Interesting story. I liked it.
Penelope - James McAvoy is hot... Always has been. Now he's sweet (sort of) too=)
Kung-Fu Panda - I thought it was pretty funny.
Mamma Mia - yeah, good music... That's it.
Burn After Reading - FUN!
Bolt - This was a really cute movie! I can't believe it's not in my collection actually... Will have to remedy that asap!
Bridge to Terabithia - I agree with the others that a flogging is due... When you watch it, keep an entire box of Kleenex handy. On second thought, make that two boxes.

Those are all the movies I've seen. I really want to see True Grit as well... Let us know how it is=)

Unknown said...

Thanks, Kathleen! I love hearing from fellow critical thinkers. Oh and thanks for recommending Bolt, I'll have to see it now. ^_^