Movies A to Z...

On my last blog, I had so much fun listing my favorite music groups A to Z, that I thought I'd give it a try with movies. I guess we'll see how it goes.

A is for A Series of Unfortunate Events. A rare case of enjoying the movie more than the books. But then, I could never get into the books, though I truly tried.

B is for Back to the Future. I love this trilogy, especially the first and third movies. So much fun, and every time travel question was answered.

C is for Clue. Who knew a board game would make such a great movie? The cast is great; Tim Curry is always fun to watch, Christopher Lloyd is hilarious, and don't you dare take your eyes off of Madeline Kahn. The french maid is great eye candy, too.

D is for Dogma. I think the tagline for the movie says it all: "Religion is a funny thing."

E is for Equilibrium. Think "Farenheit 451," but where all emotions and anything that would cause emotional responses are outlawed. Christian Bale's face as he starts to feel emotion for the first time is an amazing thing to watch.

F is for Final Fantasy: Advent Children. Granted, it's a movie sequel to a video game, but the computer-generated graphics are amazing, and the story's pretty good as well.

G is for Grosse Point Blank. Hooray for John Cusack. I love this idea. A professional assassin goes to his 10-year high school reunion. I might have gone to mine, if I were an assassin...

H is for Hercules. Okay, so it's not entirely faithful to the Greek myths, but it has a great vocal cast and is hilarious. James Woods as Hades steals the scene, even when he's not in the scene.

I is for The Incredibles. Wonderful superhero movie. Great story, truly emotional, and action-packed and exciting. I saw it many times in the theater.

J is for James Bond: Casino Royale. I'm not a huge Bond fan, but I LOVED this movie. I still need to buy it. The opening chase sequence was incredible, and Daniel Craig makes a great James Bond.

K is for Kill Bill. Yeah, it gets a little bloody, but there's something about the character of the Bride that is so compelling. And the other actors in the two movies are all amazing. I really do enjoy watching both halves.

L is for Lost in Translation. A movie that is the perfect love letter to those who love foreign culture, whether it be Japan or somewhere else. Yeah, it moves a touch slow, but that's part of its charm for me.

M is for Mirrormask. This movie combines the creativity of Neil Gaiman, the artistry of Dave McKean, and the imagination of the Jim Henson company to make a wonderful movie. At once dreamy, hopeful, and emotional, this movie is a moving experience.

N is for Night Watch. A Russian fantasy with elements of Horror, this is the first of a planned trilogy of movie. Yes, there were some holes in the plot, and some things left unexplained, but the visuals are incredible, and they found a way to make the subtitles actually part of the movie. Creepy without scaring the crap out of me.

O is for Over the Hedge. I didn't expect to love this movie. But I do. It's a great criticism of human nature. Plus: funny as all get-out. If you don't love Hammy the squirrel after seeing this movie, you're emotionally dead inside.

P is for Phantom of the Opera. I loved this movie. It surprised me how much I enjoyed it. I love the music of the original broadway production so much that I was worried that it would be ruined in movie form, but it wasn't. Great voices, for the most part, and a great cast.

Q is for Quest for Camelot. My main problem with this movie is that it feels rushed. It's fairly short, and if they had been able to stretch it just a little more, it would have been more enjoyable. However, the soundtrack is absolutely infectious.

R is for Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Oh, how I love this movie. I don't think I could put why I love this movie into words.

S is for Singin' in the Rain. One of my favorite movies of all time. 'Nuff said.

T is for Toy Story 1 and 2. Everybody who had toys growing up wondered what it would be like if their toys came to life. Now we know. It's a conspiracy to keep humans from finding out about it.

U is for Underworld. While I didn't like the look of the werewolves in this movie, the story and plot sparked my imagination, and that alone makes a movie worth watching more than once.

V is for Van Helsing. For pretty much the same reasons as Underworld, except I liked how the werewolf looked in this movie. Although I did find it hard to accept the duke from Moulin Rouge as Dracula. That just seemed to really be a stretch. But the friar was hilarious.

W is for While you Were Sleeping. Another one of my favorite movies of all time. The whole movie is pretty much my favorite movie moment.

X is for X2: X-men United. Pretty much the perfect superhero movie. From the opening scene in the White House to the emotional ending, this movie gets my attention and keeps it the entire time.

Y is for You've Got Mail. Yes, it's sappy. Yes, it makes me cry. But, before you get all judgemental, you have to realize that my parents courted by way of letters, so this movie kind of relates to my life, a little.

Z is for Zorro, as in the Mask of Zorro. Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, and Catherine Zeta Jones. There really isn't all that much to dislike about this movie.

So, what do you think?

A New First...

So I had a new experience at work the other day.

I was speaking with a Ms. S., and what she had called for did not take very long, and when we had finished she started chatting with me for a second. She asked if I was studying in school, so I told her I was in-between degrees, and that I wanted to go to grad school. I told her my major was in Spanish.

She evidently thought that was pretty impressive. She told me that the mind is unhinged and could accomplish anything. The she asked, "Well, why aren't you working for a bank in Spain, my Nigger (pronounce niggah)?" I told her that I just wasn't prepared to work in another country yet.

We ended the call, and anytime I felt a little irritated after any call after that, I just had to remember Ms. S. and I would start giggling uncontrollably. I felt very flattered and took that phrase as a complement, as I think it was meant.

It still makes me smile to think of it.