Movies!

For those of you who don't know...I'm kinda a movie person. No...really. I watch movies ALL the time. I don't know if a single week in my whole life has passed by without me watching a movie. Usually I watch more than one. Some people may think me naughty, but if I didn't watch rated R movies, I may have run out of movies long ago. Thankfully they keep making more, so I've never run out. I am also thankful that I found a husband who shares this same passion.

See, my husband works at Blockbuster (which most of you probably know). We get 5 free rentals per week. It's pretty nice. Moreover, Nephi is OBSESSED with owning every movie he has ever liked. And he can't just own the movie, he has to have the super, awesome, amazing, fantastic, deluxe, ultimate, collectors edition. I would say over half of the movies we own have more than one disk. Well...this has kind of rubbed off on me, so we have a pretty eclectic collection. For example, while we only own 393 titles, those 393 titles consist of 629 disks. Yeah, we take it pretty seriously.

Anyway, I am a person who must have something going on in the background (visual) if I am going to get anything done. I really don't get people who are able to go into a quiet room or library and just work. I end up staring at the wall or the ceiling or (my favorite) the clock. I found that if I put a movie on while I worked I actually got work done faster. Instead of having to take 5 minute breaks every 10 minutes, I take little 5 second breaks every couple of minutes. It works better for me that way. I am a multi-tasker, what can I say. Knowing this, and knowing that I took 21 credits last winter, went to school full time in the summer while preparing for my internship, and am now an intern who preps, grades, etc., and who was also working on a 70 page Teacher Work Sample, it is safe to say I have watched a TON of movies over the last year.

Last night as I was grading and watching movies I felt like I wanted to share some of my favorite movies and characters. I should mention that I realize that not all this movies are cinema gold. They are just movies that I really enjoy watching over and over again.

Favorite Movies:

The Prince of Egypt - So...maybe it seems lame to put this as one of my favorite movies, but it really is. I love the story, the characters, and the music. Some people think the Ten Commandments is better; they are wrong. Something I love about The Prince of Egypt is that they do such a great job at portraying Moses as a real person...not some scary weirdo. I can relate to Moses' struggle with his own insignificance. I can feel it when he finally understand that he has been chosen by God. I love that the first thing he wants to do is tell his wife. I love it. Seriously. I cry EVERY time and I feel the Spirit EVERY time. Not all movies can do that.

Air Force One - Again...am I seriously putting a popcorn action movie on my favorites list? The answer is yes. I always enjoy this movie. It always makes me feel so patriotic. I love that Harrison Ford is a president with integrity, who can also kick people's trash. I would totally vote for him. I also love that people are willing to sacrifice their lives for him in multiple parts throughout the movie. Plus Gary Oldman does such a great job as an evil Russian guy. I used to think he was a Russian guy...until I realized it was Gary Oldman (which was like...2 years ago). Haha. This movie also has some of the best one-liners. "Get off my plane!" then he pulls the ripcord and CRACK! Then there's the, "Hahaha! The good guys are here!" as the American fighter pilots get there to kick some MIG (no clue if I spelled that right) butt. Anyway, this is an awesome one.

Disaster Movies - Okay...so I should probably specify which ones, but I just can't. I love any and all disaster movies: Armageddon, Deep Impact, Dante's Peak, The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, War of the Worlds. Oh man, they make my day. I have no idea why I love this genre so much, but I really do. I really, really do. I watch these listed movies over and over again and it never gets old.

Saved! - While I don't want to watch this movie everyday, I really do love it. It has some hilarious humor, though it is hard to appreciate if you have never experienced that culture. This movie also has some awesome one-liners. "I am filled with Christ's love!" as Hillary proceeds to angrily throw a Bible at Mary's back. Another favorite is when Hillary proclaims, "I just ran my van in Jesus!" Yeah...it's good.

Pride and Prejudice - Don't even think about a 6 hour version of Pride and Prejudice. I would shoot myself. I am talking about the one with Keira Knightley. The first time I saw this movie...I really didn't like it. Why? Because I hate Keira Knightley. I can't stand her...and I couldn't believe she got nominated for best actress in this role. Seriously...she is so bad. However, she is pretty good for the part of Elizabeth. It just works. It takes a while to get over her weirdo smile and annoying laugh, but if you can...you really can ignore that Keira Knightley is in it. Haha. After watching it again though, I fell in love with it and now I watch it all the time. It makes me happy. I should also say that I am not a fan of the book. Not at all, so the fact that I love this movie so much says something. A big part of it is the director, Joe Wright. He does such a good job with the cinematography and the music. He also did Atonement which is a good one.

Return to Me - I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I was DRAGGED to this movie in the theaters. I wanted to see some kids movie (I can't remember what), and I was seriously annoyed that this was our choice. However, even at 14 I loved this film. It's so good. I laugh so hard every time I watch it. It is also touching and sweet. The characters are dynamic and exciting. Again...one-liners. My personal favorite is, "I have never said 'Hell' you son of a bitch," when Megan is scolding her husband for teaching their children bad words. Love it!

17 Again - This is one of my newer favorites. Zac Efron (while a complete idiot, from what I gather in interviews), does such a good job in this movie. He is soooo cute and plays this part perfectly. Playing an old man as a young guy really works for him. The awkward situations that he finds himself in are so awesomely horrible. Like when his daughter tries to seduce him, or when he convinces his whole health class that abstinence is best. It is hilarious. Moreover, Zac Efron does a good job with the emotional stuff too. At the end when he is telling his wife why he loves her...you feel it. Of course, the real show stealer is his "dad," Ned. This character is so ridiculously funny. You really should see it if you haven't.

The Fifth Element - While not the most amazing movie overall, this was a family favorite. What I love about it is it's dry humor. Mostly...I love Chris Tucker as Ruby Rhod. "Korben...Korben...I ain't got no fire!"

Well...I should probably stop, because I could keep going forever. There are many others.

If you are interested, this is a list of all of the movies we own.

Finally

So, even though I'm sure no one will read it, I finally decided to join the blogging world. I don't know why exactly. I guess sometimes I just want to vent or give jubilation and I don't really want to bug my husband or a friend. This way if I do those things and someone wants to share in my pain or joy, they can. However, if they don't, I'm not forcing them to.

I also find that writing things out helps me better understand my own feelings, and it can make it easier to move on (if things are bad) or keep feeling happy (if things are good). It also helps me to work through problems.

Mostly, I am by myself a lot. Sometimes I want something to do other than work and movies. We'll see how well I keep it up.

So now that I've discussed why I decided to start a blog, I figure I should write an actual entry.

Things I am Thankful For:

Over a year ago I was driving back to Utah from Colorado. I was passing a truck and I suddenly thought of the life of a trucker. They spend their whole lives in the car. They are constantly dealing with dumb drivers and bad weather. It made me grateful that I wasn't a trucker. And suddenly I realized all of the things I wouldn't have without truckers, which made realize how grateful I am that I don't have to do those sorts of things. But not in a, "Thank goodness I'm not a trucker" kind of way, but rather a "Thank goodness there are people who are willing to do that" kind of way. It made me realize that sometimes I can be sort of negative. There are so many things in this world to be grateful for, even truckers. I think we need to focus more on the great things in our lives. There are so many things.

I am grateful for truckers (obviously). I am grateful for the mountains and the ocean. I am grateful for my students and how my job doesn't feel like a job. I am grateful for animals and how happy they make me. I am grateful for friends who put up with me and know me, but still love me. I am grateful for trash collectors and the people who prepare my meat. I am grateful for this country and the numerous benefits it provides. I am grateful for my crazy sisters, even though they are just that...crazy. I am grateful for music and how it makes me feel closer to God than anything else. I am grateful for movies and how they influence my life and choices. I am grateful to be a part of the gospel. Finally, I am so grateful for my husband. I love my family and I know they love me, but they have to put up with me. Nephi doesn't, yet he is here everyday loving me and supporting me in all that I do. I am grateful that it feels so natural to love him. These are just a few of the things I am grateful for. I wish I could keep going, but I could go on and on forever.

Well, I am grateful for you! Thanks for reading my first blog post.