Movie Challenge
1. Last movie you watched. 13th, the 2016 documentary by Ava DuVernay about racial inequality in our prison system.
My church has designated criminal justice and prison reform a priority for our congregation, so watching it now felt especially important to me. I learned a great deal. Netflix has made it available for free on YouTube here.
2. Last movie you watched in a theater. Casablanca. My friend Kathy took me to see it on the big screen at this glorious old movie palace, originally built in the late 1920s. The event was a fundraiser to support its restoration.
3. Film you’ve always wanted to watch, but haven’t. Frozen. I've heard so much about Anna and Elsa. This month, I bought Disney+ for Hamilton, and I must take the time to watch Frozen, too.
4. Favorite movie soundtrack. I love the soundtrack to My Best Friend's Wedding. I enjoyed it more than the movie, to be honest.
5. Your favorite movie duo. Newman and Redford, the coolest guys ever.
6. Movie you like because of its story. Holiday. A thirty-something man who has worked since his teens wants to retire now, to take a few years off to travel and meet different kinds of people. Then he plans to go back to work, now understanding what he's working for. He falls in love with Julia, who thinks he's hot and charming and shows a great deal of promise. She also hates his idealistic, impractical plans and pressures him to change. I love this movie because it questions what we value, and why we love who we love. Made in 1938, it was a box office failure, despite starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, because during the Depression, audiences had no sympathy for a young man who could work, who could have a precious job, and simply didn't want it. But I find the story and the sentiment are very dear.
7. A film that disappointed you. Rebel without a Cause. I just don't get James Dean.
8. Favorite scene from a movie. "Your girl is lovely, Hubbell." The Way We Were. (Cue my tears.)
9. Your guilty pleasure movie. I love every wretched moment of this movie so much.
10. A movie you keep going back to.
11. A quote your admire from your favorite movie. In the immortal words of Bruce Willis/John McClane: Welcome to the party, pal!
12. A movie based on a true story.
13. Your favorite actor/actress. Robert Redford, Katharine Hepburn
14. A sequel you’re not a fan of. Funny Lady
15. A film you know by heart. I'll go with Die Hard again here.
16. Your favorite opening scene. I love this credit sequence. I remember it more vividly than I do the rest of the movie.
17. A film that was based on a book and was executed well. To Kill a Mockingbird is a beautiful movie. The Godfather is actually better than the book. Jaws works so much better onscreen than on the page. All the President's Men is both faithful and entertaining (Bev reminded me). So don't simply buy into that silly elitist fiction that the book is always better than the movie.
18. A comedy film. Aside from making fabulous music, the Lads from Liverpool are really very funny.
19. TV series you’re binging on now. The Dick Van Dyke Show is on the Decades channel all weekend. It's a tribute to series creator Carl Reiner. It is a gem.
20. A TV series you think is underrated. I enjoy Michael Douglas series, The Kominsky Method, but I don't know anyone else who watches it.
These are the thoughts and observations of me — a woman of a certain age. (Oh, my, God, I'm 65!) I'm single. I'm successful enough (independent, self supporting). I live just outside Chicago, the best city in the world. I'm an aunt and a friend. I feel that voices like mine are rather underrepresented online or in print. So here I am. If my musings resonate with you, please visit my blog again sometime.