Over the years my activities have become, oh, how shall we put it…lazy. Along with taking my daily pills, watching movies on television is now one of my favorite things to do. Both make me feel better. And want to spend the whole day in my recliner.
While trying to figuring out the remote control the other day I wondered what my all-time favorite movies were. Here is what I’ve come up with:
#10) Drumline: A glimpse into the highly competitive world of college bands. In one scene, just before leading the band onto the field to perform, the band director exclaims “It’s showtime!”. Now my young son says that when he walks into the bathroom and closes the door.
#9) Pulp Fiction: Blood, Travolta, and an obscure sequence of scenes. What more could one want? I’ve always wondered why the phone never rang or a customer never walked into the diner while it was being robbed. SPOILER ALERT: Bruce Willis plays a cool dude.
#8) Goodfellas: This movie lets you see how much fun it is waking up to find your wife holding a gun to your face. Sure, robbery, extortion, murder and selling drugs is okay but having a girl on the side crosses the line. One also discovers it not wise to mouth off to Joe Pesci, or pester Robert De Niro for money. Take the kids!
#7) Borat: Borat shows a foreigner traveling across America and how confusing it can be to an outsider, like a guy walking through Lord and Taylor. The scene with Borat wrestling his manager is one of the funniest I have ever “scene”!
#6) Ol’ Yeller: Some advice – don’t watch this movie with your unsympathetic cousin. My cousin took me to watch this movie with his buddies. At the end, they all sat there watching me cry. And this was just last week at his friend’s house.
#5) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Not much violence, not much action…not sure why I like this movie so much. But I do. I guess it is the humorous exchanges between Butch and Sundance. Best line of the movie, imo: Butch says he wanted to go into the army and become a hero. Sundance replies “Well, it’s too late now”, shattering his dreams. Candid and priceless!
#4) Patton: Make a movie about Dubya Dubya Two and I’m all over it. One learns how to alleviate a traffic jam on an Italian bridge.
#3) The Godfather: I always fantasized about our family being like the Corleone’s. Of course, without being gunned down on the street.
#2) Dumb and Dumber: Any goofy movie that even my wife likes has GOT to be good. I’m going to hang out by the bar. Put out the vibe.
And My #1 Of All Time) The Ghost and Mr. Chicken: A movie for the whole family and should be mandatory viewing in elementary schools across the nation. Nay, across the world. TGAMC swirls in greatness on so many levels. The acting is brilliant. The movie score is captivating. And who can’t relate to being afraid of ghosts? This is Don Knotts’ finest hour. One of my favorite quotes ever is from this movie “Karate. My whole body’s a weapon.” It also provides an example for all potential public speakers on how NOT to make a speech! Who were your heroes? Luther Heggs!
In one of the most riveting scenes in cinematic history, Luther sees the organ for the first time. And they used Bonami!
You will notice none of my movies are true love stories. Hey, if I wanted to kiss someone I love then I’d find the nearest mirror. (Although, the scene in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid where Sundance shows up at Hedda’s house is romantic. And embarrassing if you watched it at the theater with your Dad – he also looked to see if I was crying).
Feel free to share your favorite movie and why it is.