The Modern Classics Bucket List

So I see today Yahoo! has several lists titled “100 Movies to See Before You Die.” As I skim the different categories; Funniest Movies, All-Time Classics and Modern Classics, I thought “why don’t I try and concur one of these lists?” So I looked at each, listed which movies I hadn’t seen before, counted those up and decided I was going to try conquering…Modern Classics! (For those curious…there were 57 Funniest Movies I hadn’t seen and 74 All-Time Greats).

My goal is to see as many 52 Modern Classic below before the end of the year. And ideally I’d like to have a follow-up blog stating which ones I truly thought belong on the list because as I look it over I have intentionally chosen not to watch some of these, tried watching them and gave up or just plain haven’t’ heard of them before. We’ll see where the adventure takes me. But for now, I’ll begin with Netflix Instant Watch…they have 9 of the movies, so there’s my start.

Take a look below…any on my missing list surprise you? For me, I still can’t believe I’ve never seen Finding Nemo and Thelma & Louise. How’d I miss those?  Have you seen of these and are thinking “she’s crazy, that movie blows!” Or do you see a favorite here? Let me know.

Modern Classics I’m Missing:

1. Goodfellas
2. Thelma & Louise
3. Hard Boiled
4. Malcolm X
5. The Player
6. Raise the Red Lantern
7. Supercop
8. Unforgiven
9. Chungking Express
10. Ed Wood
11. Four Weddings and a Funeral
12. The Shawshank Redemption
13. Red
14. Before Sunrise
15. Living in Oblivion
16. Sense and Sensibility
17. The Usual Suspects
18. Big Night
19. Dead Man
20. Ghost in the Shell
21. Lone Star
22. Secrets & Lies
23. Trainspotting
24. Eve's Bayou
25. L.A. Confidential
26. The Sweet Hereafter
27. The Big Lebowski
28. Fireworks
29. Out of Sight
30. All About my Mother
31. Princess Mononoke
32. Run Lola Run
33. Three Kings
34. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
35. Yi Yi
36. Amelie
37. Donnie Darko
38. In the Mood for Love
39. Mulholland Drive
40. The Pianist
41. Y Tu Mama Tambien
42. City of God
43. Elephant
44. Finding Nemo
45. A History of Violence
46. The Lives of Others
47. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
48. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
49. Michael Clayton
50. No Country for Old Men
51. Slumdog Millionaire
52. The Hurt Locker

To see the full list go:

http://movies.yahoo.com/photos/100-movies-to-see-before-you-die-the-modern-classics-slideshow-2087/#crsl=%252Fphotos%252F100-movies-to-see-before-you-die-the-modern-classics-slideshow-2087%252F100-movies-to-see-before-you-die-the-modern-classics-photo-1333492235.html

Movie Review - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Last night I saw The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. And now I can finally stop the antsy pantsy dance I’ve been doing since I purchased my tickets a few weeks ago. So what do I think of it??? I loved it. But I’m completely biased. I love Lisbeth Salander. She is my hero. And these books have become my favorite adult series. (HP being my favorite Young Adult Series with Hunger Game following just behind HP.) So I think that TGWTDT could do nothing but win with me.

So the best I can do if point out many highs and a few lows…so here goes.

Best Parts of the Movie (Don’t Worry No Spoilers)


#1 Mara Rooney

#2 Mara Rooney

#3 You guessed it…Mara Rooney.


Mara Rooney is fantastic. I suspected she would do a great job from the trailers but following in the footsteps of her predecessor, Noomi Rapace from the Swedish films, gave her large shoes to fill. In my opinion she tackled the challenge head on and I think she gave a truly stunning performance. It’s hard to say which Lisbeth version I like better. If asked, I’ll give the cop out answer and say “I like them equally.” Seriously, each gave this short waifish woman a “soft” side that could appeal to the masses but give a believability when she strikes like a snake in moments of retaliation. And Mara Rooney’s willingness to get pierced for the film, as well as play out completely horrific scenes in the buff in front an entire film crew, makes me say kudos to you. Bravo!

Now, I know you’ll feeling my new Mara Rooney love but I have to give a few more props. First, Sweden. One of the first things my husband said as we left the theater was how stunning the movie was. It’s true and completely the work of Sweden. Not only was the scenery breathtaking but just watching the cold wintery months made me keep my jacket on at all times. Among many reasons to re-watch the movie, I’m looking forward to being able to appreciate the view even more.

Next, Daniel Craig. I’m not really a fan or non-fan of Daniel Craig. He just is. I can’t really say I’ve seen enough of his movies to even have much of an opinion of him. (Excluding his fantastic body from the Bond films, that’s clearly established.) So, I think I was taken aback by his acting. There were times when he really brought vulnerability to his character. Playing the man at a low point in his career, facing jail time (though the movie doesn’t go there), and being a ladies man all at once, just worked for him. I expected him to kick ass like his Bond films, but he had much more naturalistic persona. All in all, a happy surprise.

Lastly, the sound of the movie. Anyone who’s seen the trailer has heard the eerie wails and heart pounding sound mix by Trent Reznor. That song, for me, would instantly turn my head to the TV when I heard it. It would instantly get my heart racing. The music definitely another perfect “character” in the movie. And I’d like to see the movie again, so I could pay more attention to it without being so distracted to what’s happening. It’s good stuff.

Now, my low points…ok, so first is not really-really a low point. For anyone who has read the books, they say it drags the first half. And I would agree. Stieg Larsson really takes his time to set the scene. So does David Fincher. So I felt the movie had a bit of a slower pace the first half. But that’s not really a bad thing. It’s just the way to slowly reveal pieces of the story and give you information that you as the audience will need to know in the second half when the action is going down. So, be patient. (On a side note: my husband didn’t feel the drag, so maybe you won’t either.)

I’m not sure why but sometimes, things were hard to understand. Not concept wise but literally hard to hear. Either between the accents or distractions, I felt I missed a bit here and there. Nothing detrimental but enough to take note of.

And that’s it. I really liked the movie. The only thing that could have made it better is if I wasn’t sitting next to a confused chatty Cathy, who asked questions at each moment. I seriously wanted to strangle the woman, each time she asked “what does that mean?” Haven’t you ever watched a movie before? They are only revealing a piece of the puzzle at a time, relax. At one point in the movie she was sitting on the tip of her seat, angling her body to the screen in what I only imagined her way of getting closer to the film to better understand it. Her date then began rubbing his rough hand along her back, making the most annoying and loud distraction to my right side. To channel my father-n-law, it was like dynamite to my ears! This couple and the fact I had to sit through a trailer for new Ghost Rider movie with the god awful Nicholas Cage were the absolute worst parts of my movie going experience.

So go out, see this thriller and enjoy. I guarantee you, that if you like this movie. You will love the next ones, granted if they are made, because they focus on Lisbeth.

And to you readers of the books…what did you think of the changes they made? I was ok with them myself.

Random Ramblings of Connect the Dots

Yesterday I received the rest of my derby gear via UPS. All I can think about is skating. Now that I have the major items, I want the minor items. Like shoelaces, toe guards, carrying case, etc. etc. I’m really obsessed about finding the perfect carrying case for my stuff that it even led me to a new craving…V! No, I’m not talking True Blood V but V as in V for Vendetta, one of my favorite movies. Ok, you might be thinking how I got from thinking derby to V. Well it started off with wanting to decorate my future derby case. I’m such a lover of movies I was thinking of decorating it with favorite movie quotes. One that came to mind was from a very under appreciated movie called Little Nicky. If you haven’t seen it, below is a picture of Little Nicky.

Best two lines from this movie are: “Popeye's chicken is fuckin' awesome!” and “Can I wash my winky in your kitchen sinky?” Little Nicky came out in 2000 and still to this day whenever my husband and I have Popeye’s we have to say out loud and in our best Little Nicky voice how fuckin’ awesome it is. The second quote just makes me laugh. My husband says I’m easily entertained and I can’t really fight him on that charge based on the evidence provided here.

So I Google Little Nicky hoping to find a decent image from the movie with high quality resolution for reproducing purposes and I didn’t find anything. Well, not anything I liked. So it got me thinking…what movie do I love that is also under appreciated that I know I can find images online, as well as find merchandise, the answer…V for Vendetta!

Now where do I begin with V for Vendetta? It is unfathomable to me when I converse with friends about this movie and they say “it was alright.” Alright!?! Alright!?! I don’t understand. I suppose if your one of those people that only like comedies and fluffy movies, then I can understand this isn’t your thing. I can also understand if you’ve read the graphic novel and didn’t like the changes that were made; I’m a stickler too when it comes to books I love that turn into movies. But if you went to this movie and claim you like all genres and haven’t read the graphic novel, what wasn’t too love? As I look and read memorable quotes from this movie on imdb.com I’m so inspired to sit down and commit to watching this 131 minute movie for the twentieth time.

So what is so great about it? I think I should start off with stating how much I enjoy watching movies where society needs to rebuild. It could be in the form of a zombie apocalypse, nuclear warfare or in this case a totalitarian government that forms after world wide chaos. I just enjoy watching movies where the circumstances are so extreme I can’t help but think “Would I survive this?” “Would I stand up for what I thought was right?” Right away, this movie has an edge because I specifically favor this type of film.

But when I jump into the film, I find it clever. I like the imagery that ties to actual historic events. I like the inspiration from books such as 1984. The wit of V in his everyday speech is amazing. I have even watched the movie with subtitles so I could literally read and appreciate each word that was spoken. In my first viewings, some of the dialog got lost to me either due to how fast he talks (cause it can be really fast) or it was because sometimes I got caught up without having lips to watch. V wears a Guy Fawkes mask throughout the film, so his lips never move. I didn’t realize how much I actually stare at lips while listening and how much it helps me understand what is being said.

The best part to me, is the message throughout the film that ideas are bulletproof. I liked that he was just a man in a mask with an idea. You’re able to watch this movie where the hero eventually dies and yet it is not a sad movie. He is successful. He may have died but not before making his idea known and rallying support behind it. I think the message “Ideas are Bulletproof” is great for paying it forward. This movie inspires me that maybe my next idea is the next great revolution! (Ok, that’s a stretch but go with it.)

So that ends the connect the dots…derby gear to Little Nicky to V for Vendetta. In the words of Gus Portokalos from My Big Fat Greek Wedding “There you go!”

Ode to Twilight

This was going to be a movie review for Eclipse but I realized I could sum up my opinion in a few short sentences. It was awesome. It captured the essence of the book. It was the best movie yet out of the Twilight Saga. Previously, New Moon really set a standard for me and Eclipse not only met that standard but also raised it. It wasn’t hard for New Moon to be great because Twilight was so god awful. I’d even be excited to see Twilight again if they ever decided to reshoot it with a new director and rewrote some of the script. I even think the acting skills are getting better on these kids or perhaps I’m just so use to their bad acting, it doesn’t affect me anymore but either way, they just keep getting better.

Now to the purpose of this here blog entry…why is Twilight so wonderful? Let me start first by saying how much it irritates me when I read that Stephenie Meyer has no writing ability. Say what?!? This woman did not sell millions of books because she sucked at writing. She sold millions of books because she successfully captured the magnificence of your first love. She succeeded in writing a classic love story for young adults and as we all know for many adult women. (Twimom here, hello!) She even went as far as creating her own vampire mythology and though the idea of sparkling vampires is quite funny, I enjoyed reading the changes to the stereotypical vampire.

So what does Twilight mean to me? Well, do you remember your first crush? Do you remember when they walked into the room you’d hold your breath? Do you remember when they approached you, you’d get butterflies in your stomach? Do you remember when walking side by side with them and your hands accidently brushed together? Do you remember going to a movie and hoping and praying they would just grab your hand? Do you remember the stress and nerves you felt when you couldn’t decide if that first kiss was coming? That is how Twilight makes me feel and I think it makes lots of women feel this way. It puts a flutter in your stomach. It makes your heart beat with anticipation. It makes you feel like your falling in love for the first time.

Part of the reason Twilight was an epic fail was because the director overlooked the simplicity and awesomeness of a touch. In the book, I remember quite clearly the way Edward would trace his cold hand along Bella’s warm check. How he’d drag is nose along her neck ingesting her scent. All those sensations were new to Bella, so therefore were new to me, making me get all giddy and gaga inside. It took me back to a time when I was sitting on a couch next to my crush (and current husband mind you) and he put his arm across my shoulders and he lightly traced his fingers back and forth on my arm. It was and is still one of the most amazing feelings I’ve ever felt. So why wouldn’t I want to read a book that causes me to get a similar feeling in my tummy? No reason, hence the main reason why I’ve read Twilight and the rest more than once.

I know for most women, watching the movies and reading the books is as far as their obsession goes. And that’s ok. In fact, that’s normal. I don’t claim to be normal. After reading Breaking Dawn, I felt a little jipped after their first night on their honeymoon. I do realize this is a young adult story but the fade to black that happened just as they were about to get busy did not meet my expectations. I spent four books dying for these two to seal the deal and what do you get??? Fade to black! I remember reading stories in grade school that had racier things in them then this book did. Total fail Stephenie…total fail. To ease my disappointed heart, my dear best friend knew of this fairytale world called fanfiction and sent me a link of an authors version of the missing scenes; I was instantly hooked. Not only did I get the fix I needed but I was able to enjoy these characters that much longer. The addiction is so strong that even though Breaking Dawn was released in August 2008, I’m still reading fanfiction…that almost 2 years later. I think that this speaks volumes on how much Stephenie Meyer makes you care about her characters and it also says that I’m loyal and a wee bit crazy in the head.

Another huge selling point on the Twilight Saga is that almost every woman you know has read it. If they haven’t, please lend them your books. I get so much joy spreading my love for Twilight to others. I enjoy spotting a stranger holding the book and starting a conversation with them about it. I love having my friends over for a party whenever the movies are released on DVD. It makes for good conversation and gives women something to bond over. It has also awakened my reading habit and made some of my friends enjoy reading for the first time. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Why do you love the Twilight Saga? (And if you want some great fanfic recommendations, I’ve got plenty.)

Just Call me Randy

Some people might find this topic disturbing; so if you get queasy at the idea of me having sex, if the words wet or throbbing disturbs you, if you easily get embarrassed when saying the words penis or vagina, if reading this few lines are making you blush, then let me suggest this…stop reading now!

Ok, I hope that got rid of most of my family. For some reason I’m in the mood for talking about something saucy and by saucy I mean movies that make me randy…yeah baby!

I tried googling “Sexiest Movies of All Time” in hopes to find movies to add to my short list of baby making movies, but I honestly had not seen a lot of them or I did not find them sexy. For instance, Basic Instinct was on many lists. I just recently saw this movie for the first time and I was kinda looking forward to watching and waiting for my husband to come home, but unfortunately my husband could not reap the benefits of his wife getting hot and bothered over a movie. Basic Instinct was a total fail in the sexy department. First, I did not care for any of the acting. It seriously felt like a very short step up from a porno. I know for a fact I’ve seen Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone having decent acting skills but they locked those skills up tight while making this film. Also, the nature of sexy times did not appeal to me as a woman. I suppose if I was a man, the “hardcore” sex scenes might have given me a stiffy but I’m not a man. This movie blowed!

Well, 2002 was a good year for sexy movies because my top 2 sexiest movies of all time were released that year. So let’s begin with my #2….Unfaithful.

Unfaithful (2002) - New York suburban couple's marriage goes dangerously awry when the wife indulges in an adulterous fling.

I can still clearly recall the weekend my husband and I watched this movie. Though I was HIGHLY disturbed by this movies ending it still left me with a GIANT itch that my husband had to scratch. (My vagina had a week’s recovery time, sorry for TMI.) It was well acted. The sex scenes were extremely believable. I never felt like I was waiting to hear that stereotypical music “bow chica wow wow” and though I don’t find adultery sexy, I do find the “forbidden” sexy. I read a boat load of vampire romance books. Why? Because I like the forbiddeness of the immortal vampire after the mortal human. Even the bible has the story of Adam & Eve and eating the forbidden apple. It’s a highly appealing aspect and this movie is full of it. I would recommend watching this movie with a loved one or heck with yourself; self love is totally cool. I will forewarn you that the biggest turn off of this movie is the ending, it’s not happy but you’ll still be ready for some action regardless.

And now for my #1 Sexiest Movie of all Time…Secretary.

Secretary (2002) - A young woman, recently released from a mental hospital, gets a job as a secretary to a demanding lawyer, where their employer-employee relationship turns into a sexual, sadomasochistic one.

Ok, Ok…I realize from the short synopsis above this movie does not sound sexy. In fact it sounds crazy. Heck I even realize that the actors, James Spader & Maggie Gyllenhael, aren’t even that great looking. Some of you may even be repulsed or confused by the word sadomasochistic. But none of those even come close to factoring in the sexiness that this movie has. I am, in no way shape or form, into sadomasochism and you don’t need to be to find this movie sexy or relatable. While watching I easily related to Maggie’s character throughout the film as she’s left wanting for more from James Spader. As her desire builds and builds throughout the film, I also felt my own growing desire. The most surprising thing for me was I watched it for the first time on basic television, so all nudity was cut out and things were shortened, but I was still getting incredibly turned on. Also, the movie ends on a happy note which easily places this movie in my #1 slot over Unfaithful. Though highly unconventional, this is an epic love story that is well acted, well written and might make you feel dirty while watching but at the same time makes you excited and bedroom ready.

What movie makes your apex ache or makes your pork sword salute? I’m always looking for something new. (Don’t get me wrong, I don’t always need a movie to put me in the mood.)