tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62200085867033731882024-03-12T19:31:38.927-07:00Reel FocusAn advocate for raising the bar rather than pushing the envelope.
Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.comBlogger576125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-58197451311785125042023-08-09T07:00:00.043-07:002023-08-09T07:00:00.150-07:00To watch or read first...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqbF9YYaT0WQ9Ju5uN8UDNGdR76Ym8AciY7HBnCGeXOYXPPZP2Js-VigsU0rqxkuugFmNcRvnWfSluavJQBiHu1sCdwPY1BOqCSzF5PFipE6GOTBXhmSuzSRjFslqOUn005htPf3TMbBe_o7-kYyszjS25J1ecRu4pYtJEB3U3uLpOE_BcKwTWLqctgl5/s5000/woman%20reading%20inside%20a%20book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3441" data-original-width="5000" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqbF9YYaT0WQ9Ju5uN8UDNGdR76Ym8AciY7HBnCGeXOYXPPZP2Js-VigsU0rqxkuugFmNcRvnWfSluavJQBiHu1sCdwPY1BOqCSzF5PFipE6GOTBXhmSuzSRjFslqOUn005htPf3TMbBe_o7-kYyszjS25J1ecRu4pYtJEB3U3uLpOE_BcKwTWLqctgl5/s320/woman%20reading%20inside%20a%20book.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="http://storyblocks.com">storyblocks.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Today is <a href="https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/book-lovers-day/" target="_blank">National Book Lovers Day</a>, and it has me thinking about something I heard <a href="https://www.jeopardy.com/about/cast/ken-jennings" target="_blank">Ken Jennings</a> mention on a <i><a href="https://www.jeopardy.com/" target="_blank">Jeopardy!</a></i> episode. I didn't write down the exact wording, but it was basically: <i><b>Watching the movie first will not ruin the book, but reading the book first will ruin the movie.</b></i></p><p>I recently read <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3077.The_Enchanted_April?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=OXq1E3fCbP&rank=1" target="_blank"><i>The</i> <i>Enchanted April</i></a> by <a href="https://elizabethvonarnimsociety.org/about-elizabeth-von-arnim/biography/" target="_blank">Elizabeth van Arnim</a> and even though I have seen the movie twice, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. </p><p>Also, I saw the movie of <i><b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1620680/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_q_a%2520wrinkle%2520in%2520time" target="_blank">A Wrinkle in Time</a></b> </i>(2018) before I read the book (by <a href="https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/madeleine-lengle" target="_blank">Madeleine L'Engle</a>) and appreciated both. The lovely, engaging visuals of the movie helped me picture what the book described, and the book helped me better understand one of the main scenes in the film.</p><p>Most of us have woeful tales about reading a book and then being disappointed in the movie... but what do you think about that in reverse? Do you agree that seeing the movie first will not ruin the book when you read it? </p><p><br /></p>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-5640666854273725832023-03-18T07:00:00.001-07:002023-03-18T07:00:00.250-07:00Well, that was awkward!<p>In honor of Awkward Moments Day* I am sharing a post I wrote three years ago...</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Awkward situations.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Put me in an awkward situation in real life and I will squirm with discomfort, but seeing it in the movies? That's a laughing matter!<br /><br />Consider the scene in <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0313737/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Two Weeks Notice</a></i> (2002) when Lucy (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000113/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Sandra Bullock</a>) desperately needs a restroom while stuck in a traffic jam. George's (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000424/?ref_=tt_cl_t2" target="_blank">Hugh Grant</a>) solution involves leaving the vehicle and rushing her to a ramshackle RV spotted far ahead of them to beg use of the toilet. Lucy is mortified, and her awkward situation provides a great comedic scene! (Clip found <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRZPHk1sDwc" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br /><br />And can you imagine going back in time and meeting your mother as a teenager... and she seems to be making the moves on you? <i>Awkward!</i> (<b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088763/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Back to the Future</a></i></b>, 1985). (Click <a href="https://youtu.be/a0XiztFUZlc" target="_blank">here</a> for that scene.)<br /><br />In <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093886/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Roxanne</a> </i>(1987) (loosely based on <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edmond-Rostand" target="_blank">Rostand</a>'s story of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrano_de_Bergerac_(play)" target="_blank">Cyrano de Bergerac</a>), a new-to-the-station firefighter, Chris (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001685/?ref_=tt_cl_t3" target="_blank">Rick Rossovich</a>) has been warned that the Chief (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000188/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Steve Martin</a>) gets violent when anyone brings attention to the size of his nose. Here's the awkward situation when Chris sees that nose for the first time...<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/h3VZ6IRrVlI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h3VZ6IRrVlI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Movieclips: Hypnotic Nose - Roxanne</span></div><p><br />I watched an edited version of <b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093748/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Planes, Trains and Automobiles</a> </i></b>(1987). Oh my goodness, awkward moments abound in that film. If I had to choose a favorite, though, it would be the scene where Neal (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000188/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Steve Martin</a>) and Del (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001006/?ref_=tt_cl_t2" target="_blank">John Candy</a>) share a motel room with only one bed.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/u2pu0m9iTo4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u2pu0m9iTo4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Movieclips: Those aren't pillows!</span></div><p><br />The entire scene from when they awaken snuggled together to where Neal rinses his face with dirty water (Del's socks are soaking in the sink) and dries off with huge whitey tighties... the awkwardness of it all makes me laugh.<br /><br />Do you have a favorite awkward situation portrayed in film?<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>*according to Sandra Boynton's "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Every-Days-Fabulous-Holiday-Calendar/dp/1524874884/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=ZQ2D5C3R7TKE&keywords=sandra+boynton+calendar&qid=1673991553&sprefix=sandra+boynton+calendar%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEySEY1RlRHN1pOSVdZJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTkxNjI0MU1YSTNDOVVOVzJGTiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTU2MDAzTlNMVTNPSERKWlBGJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==" target="_blank">Every Day's a Fabulous Holiday</a>" calendar </p>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-83601118784289301852023-01-19T07:00:00.001-07:002023-01-19T07:00:00.200-07:00Happy Popcorn Day!<p>I mentioned in my previous post that I have Sandra Boynton's "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Every-Days-Fabulous-Holiday-Calendar/dp/1524874884/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=ZQ2D5C3R7TKE&keywords=sandra+boynton+calendar&qid=1673991553&sprefix=sandra+boynton+calendar%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEySEY1RlRHN1pOSVdZJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTkxNjI0MU1YSTNDOVVOVzJGTiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTU2MDAzTlNMVTNPSERKWlBGJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==" target="_blank">Every Day's a Fabulous Holiday</a>" calendar. Well, today is Popcorn Day, and what goes better with popcorn than a movie?</p><p>I posted about popcorn in these posts:</p><p><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2018/08/a-stand-for-concessions.html" target="_blank">A stand for concessions</a>. (In this post, I express the desire to pay the movie theater for permission to bring my own luscious popcorn into the theater.)</p><p>And...</p><p>Why I watch movies (as if I need a reason): <a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2019/04/popcorn.html" target="_blank">Popcorn</a></p><p>Ever wonder how popcorn got its start in the movie business? There are several YouTube videos that discuss its history, and how it was originally banned from the cinema. Here's one...</p><p style="text-align: center;">How Popcorn Went From Banned to Saving Movies</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sLbQ5sPrybU" width="320" youtube-src-id="sLbQ5sPrybU"></iframe></div><p>Tonight, I'll be enjoying popped kernels of goodness to celebrate Popcorn Day, how about you?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-25834593374718956392023-01-16T06:46:00.002-07:002023-01-16T06:48:06.591-07:00Appreciate a Dragon Day<p></p><p>Hey, real quick. I looked at my calendar* and saw today is Appreciate a Dragon Day. Yep, it's an actual holiday observed yearly on January 16. </p><p>I had to look on-line to learn how to celebrate such an occasion and the <a href="https://nationaltoday.com/appreciate-a-dragon-day/" target="_blank">website</a> suggested watching dragon-themed movies. <br /></p><p>Watch movies? Well, I better hurry and post on here to spread the news and share my favorite movie dragon... <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120762/mediaviewer/rm3641703168?ref_=ext_shr_lnk" target="_blank">Mushu</a>, on Disney's animated <b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120762/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Mulan</a></i></b> (1998). Voiced by <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000552/?ref_=tt_cl_t_2" target="_blank">Eddie Murphy</a>, Mushu is my absolute favorite dragon!</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1mENO4olbM4" width="320" youtube-src-id="1mENO4olbM4"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p>And listed by year of release, here are other movies with dragons I've enjoyed:</p><p><b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076538/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3" target="_blank">Pete's Dragon</a></i></b> (1977) (I liked this version better than the remake.)</p><p><b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088323/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">The NeverEnding Story</a></i></b> (1984)</p><p><b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892769/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">How to Train Your Dragon</a></i></b> (2010)</p><p>Can you tell I prefer dragons who are comedic or friendly? </p><p>What are your favorite movie dragons?</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">*I have Sandra Boynton's "Every Days a Fabulous Holiday" calendar with "365 offbeat honest-to-goodness official holidays"... so much fun! It might generate ideas for future posts, too.</span></p><p><br /></p>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-68805600479164831712023-01-16T05:24:00.000-07:002023-01-16T05:24:58.243-07:00I'm still here.<div style="text-align: left;">As I wrote the title of this post, it (unintentionally) summed up what I've been going through, creatively, for quite some time. I wrote <i>I'm still here</i>, meaning that I haven't forgotten about this blog. I'm still around, alive and kicking. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But, creatively, I've been at a standstill. Some writers pooh-pooh the notion of writer's block, and even I'm not sure if that's what I've been experiencing. I'd set aside the time to write and spend that time staring at a blank screen, crying. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This past October I went to a writer's retreat in hopes that something would shake loose, but it didn't turn out that way. I had a wonderful time connecting with other writers, and enjoyed the atmosphere, scenery, and food, but when it came to writing time, I spent it in frustration and tears. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliEkbC20zJYAsjGCLoCqerWHbM1B_1Thwv5I-Bin0s_GUEftbBuEW-V_ac39QSugCuyUBFAnqMCjvsfhpzfGqh9kUQZt7O-_-vaeWh6o9Yu40GApJ2k2HlNRSU9QR9VWTecoiAGYCMWjNq_lPwm29T_FQd_s44jXLtyquNEtrB7c0Or_bkevvjlExCQ/s5000/Oasis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2813" data-original-width="5000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliEkbC20zJYAsjGCLoCqerWHbM1B_1Thwv5I-Bin0s_GUEftbBuEW-V_ac39QSugCuyUBFAnqMCjvsfhpzfGqh9kUQZt7O-_-vaeWh6o9Yu40GApJ2k2HlNRSU9QR9VWTecoiAGYCMWjNq_lPwm29T_FQd_s44jXLtyquNEtrB7c0Or_bkevvjlExCQ/s320/Oasis.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from storyblocks.com</td></tr></tbody></table>So, as I wrote the title, I realized that's how I felt each time I tried to write: <i>I'm still here...</i> in a writing drought. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But now, I'm <i>here</i>... writing again! I feel almost giddy over it, like finding an oasis in the desert! I hope to stay here awhile.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>Have you experienced creative droughts? </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-6946673677961203062022-04-04T10:47:00.001-07:002022-04-04T12:08:35.259-07:00A helpful website for movie-goers, book-readers, and more.<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5N4qWaM6ehHpBdEWN2W-Aja9BB9TgnnbojB6orULxynOFDxMV5cTRnvFAzHwCsbWKqEECExbgvb9-dLA0shrOu8TTaXwXwo-wCNjo63WJuFTMjdRhbmq5T1QgNJU1oyA94XqBA57FhZNANtfAnKklK-KtJKzrZUMVzwD-SUgADIwPhS-Ru9W5_2VMFA/s7360/Tossing%20popcorn%20in%20fright.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4912" data-original-width="7360" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5N4qWaM6ehHpBdEWN2W-Aja9BB9TgnnbojB6orULxynOFDxMV5cTRnvFAzHwCsbWKqEECExbgvb9-dLA0shrOu8TTaXwXwo-wCNjo63WJuFTMjdRhbmq5T1QgNJU1oyA94XqBA57FhZNANtfAnKklK-KtJKzrZUMVzwD-SUgADIwPhS-Ru9W5_2VMFA/s320/Tossing%20popcorn%20in%20fright.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Have you ever been watching a movie when suddenly a scene you weren't expecting caused anxiety or triggered a strong emotional reaction? For instance, my mom tangled with a humongous rattlesnake while in her youth, and from then on if she saw an image of a snake-- even a harmless garter snake--she freaked out!<p></p><p>Well, I recently came across a helpful website that gives people the "heads up" for frightening, disturbing, phobic, traumatic elements that might cause distress. It's titled <b>Does The Dog Die </b>(<a href="http://doesthedogdie.com">doesthedogdie.com</a>).</p><p>The website contains "emotional spoilers for movies, tv, books and more." This site is crowd-sourced, and they track 80+ categories of potentially upsetting scenes. You can either look up a specific title and find a list of possible triggers, or you can look up a category, such as "Are there snakes?" and it lists the titles of shows, video games, books that have snakes, along with a brief description... for instance... <i>yes, there are snakes, but seen in a distance</i>.</p><p>On the site, you can specify the type of media you want to search... books, movies, magazines and more... even podcasts and comic books. And you can filter by "yes" or "no". For example, my mom could have looked for "Are there snakes?" and selected "movies" and specified "no" to search for movies that did <i>not</i> have snakes.</p><p>Here are a <i>few</i> samples of categories for the site:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>cheating</li><li>someone uses drugs</li><li>heads get squashed</li><li>an animal dies</li><li>flashing lights or images</li><li>someone says "I'll kill myself"</li><li>someone is sexually assaulted</li><li>there's gun violence</li><li>someone is buried alive</li><li>there are clowns</li></ul><div>Check it out. There are oodles of categories and if you don't see the particular trigger scenes or topics that concern you, you can request that they add it.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Does The Dog Die </b>(<a href="http://doesthedogdie.com">doesthedogdie.com</a>)</div><div><br /></div><p></p>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-80352952561018210712022-02-14T13:02:00.001-07:002022-08-18T22:50:14.438-07:00Kisses for Valentine's Day<p>Monday: <i>Dialogue, Lines, or Quotes</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtiLUussfs-0ngse9XAOze2FjrtAdms5DHCittYS5m65ACAvbCYyYQ5BYTzKKf6L7niGkhU4t4-8U0lzGbQtQ0B04HZdlaG6MPjMCeQx-BWwmSr1vUji_gFFZVKmf63mGqi7VZr0Zzot1K9gWt0fX0r6Uwyj9FR-z1s1iPDx9Bc_MlSsESHcvIGrB1Kg=s3000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtiLUussfs-0ngse9XAOze2FjrtAdms5DHCittYS5m65ACAvbCYyYQ5BYTzKKf6L7niGkhU4t4-8U0lzGbQtQ0B04HZdlaG6MPjMCeQx-BWwmSr1vUji_gFFZVKmf63mGqi7VZr0Zzot1K9gWt0fX0r6Uwyj9FR-z1s1iPDx9Bc_MlSsESHcvIGrB1Kg=w205-h205" width="205" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>I shared these lines of dialogue several years ago, but in honor of Valentine's Day, and special movie moments of kissing, here they are again...</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "old standard tt"; font-size: 18px;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031381/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Gone With the Wind</a></i> (1939)...</span><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 18px;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></b></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 18px;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></b></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 18px;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">RHETT BUTLER</span></b><span style="font-family: "old standard tt";"> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000022/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Clark Gable</a>)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">No, I don't think I will kiss you. Although you need kissing badly. That's what' wrong with you. You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how.</span></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></span></div><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "old standard tt"; font-size: 18px;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "old standard tt"; font-size: 18px;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034583/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Casablanca</a></i> (1942)...</span><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 18px;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></b></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 18px;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></b></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 18px;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">ILSA</span></b><span style="font-family: "old standard tt";"> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000006/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Ingrid Bergman</a>)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time.</span></span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "old standard tt"; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "old standard tt"; font-size: 18px;"><i><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117057/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">The Mirror Has Two Faces</a></b></i> (1996)...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 18px;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></b></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 18px;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></b></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 18px;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">ROSE MORGAN</span></b><span style="font-family: "old standard tt";"> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000659/?ref_=nv_sr_2" target="_blank">Barbra Streisand</a>)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">When my date takes me home and kisses me good night, if I don't hear the philharmonic in my head, I dump him.</span></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><p> </p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "old standard tt"; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093779/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">The Princess Bride</a> </i>(1987)...</span></span><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></b></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></b></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">THE GRANDSON</span> </b><span style="font-family: "old standard tt";">(<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000625/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Fred Savage</a>)</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">They're kissing again. Do we </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;">have to read the kissing parts?</span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "old standard tt"; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "old standard tt"; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">(And then, later on...)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></b></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></b></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">GRANDPA</span></b><span style="font-family: "old standard tt";"> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000393/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Peter Falk</a>)</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">And as they reached for each other...</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">(stops reading)</span></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b></b></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b></b></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>THE GRANDSON</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">What? What?</span></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b></b></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b></b></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>GRANDPA</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">Ah, it's kissing again. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "courier new", courier, monospace; font-size: large;">You don't want to hear that.</span></div></blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b></b></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b></b></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>THE GRANDSON</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">I don't mind so much.</span></span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "old standard tt"; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0256415/?ref_=ttqt_qt_tt" target="_blank">Sweet Home Alabama</a> </i>(2002)...</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></b></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></b></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">YOUNG MELANIE</span> </b><span style="font-family: "old standard tt";">(<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0266824/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Dakota Fanning</a>)</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">Why would you want to marry me for, anyhow?</span></span></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></b></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></b></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">YOUNG JAKE</span> </b><span style="font-family: "old standard tt";">(<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0193524/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Thomas Curtis</a>)</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">So I can kiss you anytime I want.</span></span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "old standard tt"; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "old standard tt"; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462538/?ref_=nv_sr_2" target="_blank">The Simpsons Movie</a></i> (2007)...</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b></b></span></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b></b></span></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>MARGE</b> </span><span style="font-family: "old standard tt";">(<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001413/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Julie Kavner</a>, voice)</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">Mmmm, best kiss of my life.</span></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></b></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span></b></span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">HOMER</span></b><span style="font-family: "old standard tt";"> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0144657/?ref_=nv_sr_2" target="_blank">Dan Castellaneta</a>, voice)</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">Best kiss of your life, <i>so far</i>.</span></span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><div><br /></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-17493140436024008222022-01-25T07:00:00.002-07:002022-01-25T07:00:00.231-07:00Take 44: Not That Funny<p>Tuesday: <i>My "take" on a film.</i> </p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1631783/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Not That Funny</a> </i>(2012)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/817FCDYOYfL._SY445_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="301" height="445" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/817FCDYOYfL._SY445_.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A simple story of how far a serious man will go for love.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Available on Amazon Prime and described as: <i>A love story about a woman who "just wants someone who makes her laugh" and a man who is not that funny.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>I found the film refreshing. When I reflected on it later, I realized it didn't pack a punch, it didn't have a wow-factor, it wasn't fast-paced, it wasn't a knee-slapper... so what did it have going for it? <b>A clean story about a decent, kind, man falling in love. It's that simple. And that beautiful.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I loved the message (as the trailer states): "Sometimes we need to stop trying... and just be ourselves."</div><div><br /></div><div>Watch the trailer <a href="https://youtu.be/vCVmzcskpsk" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Notes on content</u>:</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>No sex or nudity.</li><li>No profanity.</li><li>A brief scene of someone getting punched in the jaw.</li></ul><div><br /></div></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-16410570494382078482021-12-22T07:00:00.002-07:002022-01-25T14:10:14.777-07:00Favorite Christmas romance movies.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">From Thanksgiving through the end of December we watch a lot of Christmas romance movies. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhII0h5ID2U1dH7tEX7E_rVAHrdtDtlFWb8rMm3coWZpMQWsmxdiVCvXFwWkRO190Y4otlBNx2Rv9zvlNJRLevLl1ICkSriTO_RKU-h-IwCikebUgeJIxqM9DnbKqFY5ZM2h8AV0c8aEmWhCIsia5piE7hO48K9JJvC59iznPlX5DiOZupmHKqV-94hug=s4796" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3197" data-original-width="4796" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhII0h5ID2U1dH7tEX7E_rVAHrdtDtlFWb8rMm3coWZpMQWsmxdiVCvXFwWkRO190Y4otlBNx2Rv9zvlNJRLevLl1ICkSriTO_RKU-h-IwCikebUgeJIxqM9DnbKqFY5ZM2h8AV0c8aEmWhCIsia5piE7hO48K9JJvC59iznPlX5DiOZupmHKqV-94hug=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Some of our favorites...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385567/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">A Boyfriend for Christmas</a></i></b> (2004)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1846442/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">12 Dates of Christmas</a> </i>(2011)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3131456/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">A Very Merry Mix-Up</a></i></b> (2013)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4767950/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">A Christmas Detour</a></i></b> (2015)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7370936/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">The Christmas Train</a></i></b> (2017)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15565510/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_1" target="_blank">A Kiss Before Christmas</a></i></b> (2021)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On a Christmas-movie side note...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I was an extra (background talent) on these Christmas films:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2490352/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">The Mistle-Tones</a></i></b> (2012)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2333408/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Christmas Oranges</a></i></b> (2012)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7038606/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_9" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Switched for Christmas</a><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>(2017)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-30076865709315060482021-12-17T07:00:00.009-07:002022-01-25T13:47:44.438-07:00Fun dialogue from Christmas movies.<div style="text-align: left;">Friday: <i>Comic Relief</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">'Tis the season for Christmas movies, and I always appreciate when they make me laugh.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319343/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Elf</a></b> </i>(2003)</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: courier;">Buddy</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0170016/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">How the Grinch Stole Christmas</a></b> </i>(2000)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: courier;"></span></b></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: courier;"></span></b></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: courier;">Grinch</span></b></div><div><div><span style="font-family: courier;">Blast this Christmas music. It's joyful AND triumphant. </span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span style="font-family: courier;"></span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span style="font-family: courier;"></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104940/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">The Muppet Christmas Carol</a></b></i> (1992)</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: courier;">Rizzo the Rat</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">Mother always taught me, "Never eat singing food."</span> </div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> <span> </span></span>Later, when The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come appears...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: courier;">Rizzo the Rat</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">This is too scary. I don't think I want to see any more.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: courier;">Gonzo</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">When you're right, you're right.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (to the viewers)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">You're on your own, folks. We'll meet you at the finale.</span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"></div><blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div></div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div></div><div><i><b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099785/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Home Alone</a></b></i> (1990)</div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: courier;"></span></b></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: courier;"></span></b></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: courier;">SANTA CLAUS</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: courier;">How low can you get? Givin'Kris Kringle a parking ticket on Christmas Eve. What's next, rabies shots for the Easter Bunny? </span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: courier;"></span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: courier;"></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Have you been watching Christmas movies, too? What are your favorite funny lines?</div><div><br /></div></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-35788337093372048212021-10-29T07:00:00.058-07:002021-10-29T07:00:00.267-07:00The horror of movie clichés.<div style="text-align: left;">Friday: <i>Comic Relief</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Halloween is this weekend and some friends like to celebrate with scary movie marathons. Being the scaredy cat that I am, though, I would rather poke fun at the frightful flicks.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So, I searched through the many clichés listed in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001170/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Roger Ebert</a>'s book titled <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Eberts-Bigger-Little-Movie-Glossary-ebook/dp/B00E5BY1QE/ref=sr_1_1?crid=24W91RJAGIQ9W&dchild=1&keywords=Ebert%27s+bigger+little+movie&qid=1635486726&sprefix=ebert%27s+bigger+little+movie%2Caps%2C160&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Ebert's Bigger Little Movie Glossary</a>: A Greatly Expanded and Much Improved Compendium of Movie Clichés, Stereotypes, Obligatory Scenes, Hackneyed Formulas, Shopworn Conventions, and Outdated Archetypes </i>[what a title!] and gleaned some related to horror/slasher films.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">(Most of these are Roger Ebert's, but the book also includes some submitted by his readers.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b></b></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Dead Teenager Movie.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Generic term for any movie primarily concerned with killing teenagers, without regard for logic, plot, performance, humor, etc. Often imitated, never worse than in the <i>Friday the 13th</i> sequels. Requires complete loss of common sense on the part of the characters. Sample dialogue: "All of our friends have been found horribly mutilated. It is midnight and we are miles from help. Hey, let's take off our clothes, walk through the dark woods, and go skinny-dipping!" (R.E.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><b>Law of Relative Walking Speeds. </b></div><div>No matter how fast the would-be victim runs, the slasher can always keep up just by walking steadily. (R.E.)</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Premature Disarmament.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">In horror films, after the monster has apparently been killed, the heroine inevitably drops her weapon, usually flinging it away in disgust. The monster is, of course, still alive. (R.E.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Reverse Discrimination.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Whoever backs up in a horror movie is about to die. (Don Howard, <i>San Jose, Calif.)</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Rover, Dead Rover Rule.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">In any movie that begins with lowering skies and ominous music, all dogs being taken on walks in the countryside discover dead bodies. (R.E.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Rule of Chronic Tunnel Vision. </b></div><div style="text-align: left;">In a horror movie, the character being stalked has vision limited to the camera's field of view. Therefore, anyone coming at any angle not directly ahead will invariably scare the living daylights out of him or her. (Daniel Alvarado, <i>Arleta, Calif.)</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Short Life Syndrome.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Night watchmen in horror movies have a life expectancy of twelve seconds. (Sam Waas, <i>Houston)</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Still Out There Somewhere.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Obligatory phrase in Dead Teenager and mad Slasher Movies, where it is triggered by the words, "The body was never found. They say he/she is..." (R.E.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>There-Goes-the-Neighborhood Rule.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">In horror movies, no matter how many ghostly apparitions or psychokillers appear in a house, the owners will not leave it. In fact, the more scared they get, the more determined they are to stay put. Apparently they're earning some kind of "scream equity." (Raphael Carter, <i>Tempe, Ariz.</i>)</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">While preparing this post and thinking about the lack of common sense often displayed by characters in horror films, it reminded me of a funny Studio C sketch. I shared this several years ago and it's worth sharing again. Makes me laugh every time!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Uo66cJT6hWw" width="320" youtube-src-id="Uo66cJT6hWw"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">Studio C: <i>The Walking Dead Survival Guide</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Happy Halloween!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-41436336194417046672021-09-15T07:00:00.001-07:002021-09-15T07:00:00.212-07:00Movies reflect human needs: Sleep<p>In April I participated in the <a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" target="_blank">Blogging from A to Z Challenge</a> and followed a theme of movies reflecting human needs. I had this post ready for the letter 'S' but went a different direction (<a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-storytelling.html" target="_blank">Storytelling</a>) and left this one in my drafts. </p><div>Last week, though, sleep was a major problem for me... I had difficulty both in falling asleep <i>and</i> staying asleep. It made me think of this post, so I'm sharing it now.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2019/03/blogging-from-to-z-theme-reveal.html" target="_blank">Theme</a>: <i>Movies reflect human needs...</i></div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Abril Fatface;"><u>S</u>leep</span></h1><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yaA1RDaVAiw/YDVzaM6MuAI/AAAAAAAADB0/RygH8Pas808FX_giEKMSQSEdD_OcOTwWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Two%2Bkittens%2Bsleeping%2Bin%2Bbowl.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yaA1RDaVAiw/YDVzaM6MuAI/AAAAAAAADB0/RygH8Pas808FX_giEKMSQSEdD_OcOTwWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Two%2Bkittens%2Bsleeping%2Bin%2Bbowl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="http://storyblocks.com" target="_blank">storyblocks.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There are multiple human needs that begin with the letter S... safety and security, solitude (at times), self-confidence, self-worth, support, shelter, sharing... and yet I chose Sleep. We all need it. Some may need more than others, but sleep is vital.</div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Sleep is the Swiss army knife of health. When sleep is deficient, there is sickness and disease. And when sleep is abundant, there is vitality and health.</i> (<a href="https://www.sleepdiplomat.com" target="_blank">Matthew Walker</a>, Sleep Diplomat)</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">I've heard some say, "I'll sleep when I'm dead!" And I want to add, "Yes, and without sleep, you'll be there soon."</div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Insomnia is a gross feeder. It will nourish itself on any kind of thinking, including thinking about not thinking.</i> (<a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Clifton-Fadiman" target="_blank">Clifton Fadiman</a>)</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">In my younger years, I suffered with insomnia but didn't realize it. I thought taking hours to fall asleep was normal. Wasn't everyone like that? Well, no, I later learned, some people actually say good-night and then fall asleep. Just like that. I'm one of those now.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But... I've developed a different problem... <i>staying</i> asleep. If something wakes me up in the middle of the night (hearing a sound, too hot, too cold, need the bathroom) it's almost guaranteed I will not be able to go back to sleep.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So, yeah, I'm a bit obsessed with getting a good night's rest. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Sadly, I don't have much of a list for movies that reflect the need for sleep. I Googled "movies about sleep" and most of the results were ones I haven't seen because they are the types of movies that would keep me awake at night!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But here are some relaxing films with "sleep" in the title...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-style: italic;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053285/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3" target="_blank">Sleeping Beauty</a> </b>(1959)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-style: italic;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108160/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Sleepless in Seattle</a> </b>(1993)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114924/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">While You Were Sleeping</a></i></b> (1995)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">And for a bonus, here's a serene sleep-aid... a storybook "Jungle Night" by Sandra Boynton (I love her work!) put to video and accompanied with Yo-Yo Ma. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/56aEudL2Hr8" width="320" youtube-src-id="56aEudL2Hr8"></iframe></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And now I feel the need for a nap.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Do you have trouble sleeping? What movies come to mind while reading this?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-59588437635949324472021-08-06T07:00:00.001-07:002021-08-06T07:00:00.162-07:00Movie-themed puns.<div style="text-align: left;">Friday: <i>Comic Relief</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I3b_UQpHZfo/VYna_hu3EYI/AAAAAAAAB2A/1xl9ZlDiK-cFh_BqrNiDGlw-FCB-rO-3ACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/Film%2Breel%2Bwith%2Bpopcorn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I3b_UQpHZfo/VYna_hu3EYI/AAAAAAAAB2A/1xl9ZlDiK-cFh_BqrNiDGlw-FCB-rO-3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Film%2Breel%2Bwith%2Bpopcorn.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Movies and popcorn go <i>butter</i> together.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>As I mentioned during the 2020 A to Z Challenge with my theme <i>Humor in Film--what makes me laugh</i>, I love a play on words (see the post: <a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2020/04/wordplay.html" target="_blank">Wordplay</a>).</p><p>I need a good laugh today, so I'm sharing some movie-themed puns I found:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>What do you call security guards working outside Samsung shops?</li><ul><li>Guardians of the Galaxy.</li></ul><li>How did Reese eat her ice cream?</li><ul><li>Witherspoon.</li></ul><li>They want to open a floating cinema in Paris with drive-in boats. </li><ul><li>I think that's in Seine.</li></ul><li>A Plain Bun and a Vanilla Cream Bun goes to the cinema. During the sad movie, the Vanilla Cream Bun cried while the Plain Bun did not... Why?</li><ul><li>'Cause Vanilla Cream Buns have fillings.</li></ul><li>In Disney's <i><b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101414/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2" target="_blank">Beauty and the Beast</a></b></i> (1991) Cogsworth (voice of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001773/?ref_=tt_cl_t8" target="_blank">David Ogden Stiers</a>) says...</li><ul><li>If it's not Baroque don't fix it.</li></ul></ul><div>And for a grand finale to this post of puns, I love this dialogue from <b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110357/?ref_=ttqt_qt_tt" target="_blank">The Lion King</a></i></b> (1994)...</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Zazu (voice of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000100/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Rowan Atkinson</a>) gives the morning report...</li><ul><li>Well... the buzz with the bees is that the leopards are in a bit of a spot. And the baboons are going ape over this. Of course, the giraffes are acting like they're above it all... The tick birds are pecking on the elephants. I told the elephants to forget it, but they can't. The cheetahs are hard up, but I always say, cheetahs never prosper...</li></ul></ul><div>Thanks for humoring me. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'd love if you'd share puns in the comments!</div><div><br /></div><p></p>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-57587849852611227782021-07-13T07:00:00.120-07:002021-07-13T08:15:46.148-07:00Take 43: Collateral Beauty<p>Tuesday: <i>My "take" on a film</i>.</p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4682786/?ref_=ttmi_tt" target="_blank">Collateral Beauty</a></i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> (2016)</span></h1><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://irs.www.warnerbros.com/keyart-jpeg/movies/media/browser/collateral_beauty_whv_keyart.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="256" src="https://irs.www.warnerbros.com/keyart-jpeg/movies/media/browser/collateral_beauty_whv_keyart.jpg" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>We are all connected.</i></span></h3><div><br /></div><div>One of my sisters died in May, and ever since her death it seems like everything I select to read, watch, or listen to, includes something about grief. A flash-flood of tears nearly washed me off the highway when R.E.M.'s "<a href="https://youtu.be/5rOiW_xY-kc" target="_blank">Everybody Hurts</a>" came on the radio while driving.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not consciously selecting things with that topic, but apparently my subconscious knows I need it--so, I shouldn't be surprised when a movie I placed on the Netflix "My List" awhile back, and just recently decided to watch, turned out to be about...grief, of course.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the <a href="https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/collateral-beauty" target="_blank">film's website</a>, Warner Bros. describes: "When a successful New York ad executive suffers a personal tragedy and retreats from life, his friends devise a drastic plan to reach him before he loses everything. ... [T]his thought-provoking drama explores how <b>even the deepest tragedy can reveal moments of beauty</b>."</div><div><br /></div><div>In one of the scenes, a woman <span style="font-family: courier; text-align: center;">(</span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0365140/?ref_=tt_cl_t_6" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Naomie Harris</span></a><span style="font-family: courier; text-align: center;">)</span> who facilitates grief therapy meetings shares:</div><div><span style="font-family: courier;"><b></b></span></div><blockquote><div><span style="font-family: courier;"><b></b></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>MADELINE</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier;">...something started to happen to me, you know. I would be walking or on the subway, whatever, and I would just burst into tears. But these weren't Olivia tears. These were tears born from something else, from this... from this kind of profound connection to everything. And I realized it was the collateral beauty.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>HOWARD</b> (</span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000226/?ref_=tt_cl_t_1" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Will Smith</span></a><span style="font-family: courier;">)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier;">There's no such thing as collateral beauty.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>MADELINE</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: courier;">There is Howard. There really is. It'll never bring her back. And it will never ever make it okay. But I promise you, it's there.</span></div></blockquote></blockquote><div>What a beautiful movie! Intriguing and original. I love the concept of collateral beauty--blessed moments accompanying or following painful events--and as I reflect on the heart-breaking days spent next to my sister's deathbed, I recognize many of those beautiful moments.</div><div><br /></div><div>I originally added the movie to My List because I figured with such big names in the cast (e.g. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000226/?ref_=tt_cl_t_1" target="_blank">Will Smith</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000701/?ref_=tt_cl_t_3" target="_blank">Kate Winslet</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000545/?ref_=tt_cl_t_5" target="_blank">Helen Mirren</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0461136/?ref_=tt_cl_t_7" target="_blank">Kiera Knightley</a>) it ought to be good, right? I've seen most of Will Smith's films, so I'm not sure how I missed this one when it was released, but I certainly needed to see it now.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dpFyds_pS2E" width="320" youtube-src-id="dpFyds_pS2E"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">Warner Bros. Trailer: <i>Collateral Beauty</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b>Notes on content</b>:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>No sex or nudity, but there are some references to adultery.</li><li>One F-word, and infrequent mild swearing.</li><li>Some anger portrayed, but no violence.</li></ul><div><br /></div></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-68219715727550470562021-07-01T15:03:00.002-07:002021-07-01T15:03:41.523-07:00Movies filmed solely in these states.<p>I've been on several road trips in the past couple months, traveling mostly on secondary roads. The landscapes varied greatly... mountains, gorges, valleys, red rocks, prairies, desert...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9rAfxTt3l0o/YN4xSvLA0LI/AAAAAAAADKs/96mUEo7sQ8oSIcJMFgVQOw7zas7Go9oTACLcBGAsYHQ/s1835/Version%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="1835" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9rAfxTt3l0o/YN4xSvLA0LI/AAAAAAAADKs/96mUEo7sQ8oSIcJMFgVQOw7zas7Go9oTACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/Version%2B2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Mesa, Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Moseying through the ever-changing scenery, I couldn't help but think of the lyrics to America the Beautiful...</p><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote><blockquote>Oh, beautiful for spacious skies,<br />For amber waves of grain,<br />For purple mountain majesties<br />Above the fruited plain!</blockquote></blockquote></div><p style="text-align: left;">Of course I spotted a lot of areas that seemed ideal for film locations! And since it's time to celebrate this country's Independence Day, I decided to re-publish a post from four years ago.</p><p style="text-align: center;">******************************************</p><p style="text-align: left;">(originally posted on July 4, 2017)</p><h1 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-50-united-states-of-filming.html" target="_blank">The 50 United States of Filming</a></h1><p>In honor of Independence Day, I created a list of movies filmed in each state. I have visited all 50 of the United States and each one has its own beauty and charm... and filming locations.</p><b>Except where noted, these movies were filmed <i>entirely</i> in that particular state according to IMDb</b> (I linked each title to the listed filming locations).<br /><br /><b>So if you see these films, know that the scenery really is from the state it was filmed in</b>. For instance, if you watch Runaway Bride, all locations are in Maryland (think that's NYC? Nope, it's Baltimore posing). Whereas if you watch Dances with Wolves, you'll see lots of South Dakota, but also Nebraska, Wyoming, and Kansas (thus the movie did not make this list).<br /><br />As much as possible, I selected feature-length narrative films that showed in theaters rather than documentaries and small independent flicks.<br /><br />And of course, this is not perfect or all-incluseive. Sometimes I found copious films to choose from so I limited the selection to three or four, and other times it seemed like scraping the bottom of the barrel to find one or two (a good indication those particular states don't offer decent film incentives).<br /><br /><b>(NOTE: Many of these movies contain content I would <i>not</i> recommend.)</b><br /><b><br /></b><br /><h3><b><span style="color: red;"><u>Alabama</u>:</span></b></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079638/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><i><b>Norma Rae</b></i></span></a> (1979)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0315431/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Constellation</span></i></b></a> (2005)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2032572/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage</span></i></b></a> (2016) (Except for museum scene.)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Alaska</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103247/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">White Fang</span></i></b></a> (1991)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1430615/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Big Miracle</span></a> </span></i></b>(2012)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2005374/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">The Frozen Ground</span></i></b></a> (2013)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Arizona</u>: </span></h3>(Popular state for filming!)<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048445/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Oklahoma!</span></i></b></a> (1955) I listed this one for fun, since Oklahoma was not filmed in Oklahoma at all... 9 of the 10 filming locations were in Arizona, (and one studio location in CA).</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057298/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">McLintock</span></i></b></a> (1963)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093822/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Raising Arizona</span></i></b></a> (1987)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103617/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Aces: Iron Eagle III</span></i></b></a> (1992)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Arkansas</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094746/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Boxcar Bertha</span></a> </span></i></b>(1972)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070915/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">White Lightning</span></i></b></a> (1973)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094746/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Biloxi Blues</span></a> </span></i></b>(1988)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>California</u>: </span></h3>(No surprise... there are pages and pages of movies filmed exclusively in California, so I selected some with <b>plots linked to the movie industry</b>.)<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043014/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Sunset Boulevard</span></i></b></a> (1950)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105151/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Player</span></a> </span></i></b>(1992)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0131325/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Bowfinger</span></i></b></a> (1999)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Colorado</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043262/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Across the Wide Missouri</span></a> </span></i></b>(1951)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104670/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Ladybugs</span></i></b></a> (1992)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1230164/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Return of the Ghostbusters</span></i></b></a> (2007)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Connecticut</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068528/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds</span></a> </span></i></b>(1972)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1224366/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Afterschool</span></i></b></a> (2008)</li><li><span id="goog_77624144"></span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1535438/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Hope Springs</span></i></b></a> <span id="goog_77624145"></span>(2012)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Delaware</u>: </span></h3>(This state only recently formed a film commission, so maybe we'll see more films there in the future.)<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0005243/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Emmy of Stork's Nest</span></i></b></a> (1915)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097165/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Dead Poets Society</span></i></b></a> (1989)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Florida</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109040/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Ace Ventura: Pet Detective</span></a> </span></i></b>(1994)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120036/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Rosewood</span></i></b></a> (1997)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246464/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Big Trouble</span></i></b></a> (2002)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Georgia</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104952/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">My Cousin Vinny</span></i></b></a> (1992)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1068242/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Footloose</span></i></b></a> (2011) </li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878804/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">The Blind Side</span></i></b></a> (2009)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3410834/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Allegiant</span></a> </span></i></b>(2016)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Hawaii</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054692/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Blue Hawaii</span></a> </span></i></b>(1961)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120828/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Six Days Seven Nights</span></i></b></a> (1998)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596346/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Soul Surfer</span></i></b></a> (2011)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Idaho</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059726/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Ski Party</span></i></b></a> (1965) (mostly)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120618/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Breakfast of Champions</span></i></b></a> (1999)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Illinois</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088847/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">The Breakfast Club</span></i></b></a> (1985)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099785/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Home Alone</span></i></b></a> (1990) (Except for Paris scene)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1937449/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">At Any Price</span></i></b></a> (2012)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Indiana</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091217/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Hoosiers</span></i></b></a> (1986)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101741/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Diving In</span></a> </span></i></b>(1990)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181945/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">A Piece of Eden</span></i></b> </a>(2000)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Iowa</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066927/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Cold Turkey</span></i></b></a> (1971)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112579/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">The Bridges of Madison County</span></i></b></a> (1995)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1188113/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Peacock</span></i></b></a> (2010)</li></ul><h3><b><span style="color: red;"><u>Kansas</u>:</span></b></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081695/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Up the Academy</span></i></b></a> (1980)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082011/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Americana</span></i></b></a> (1981)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2350734/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Jayhawkers</span></a> </span></i></b>(2014)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Louisiana</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084809/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">The Toy</span></i></b></a> (1982) (mostly)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098384/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Steel Magnolias</span></a> </span></i></b>(1989)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232829/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">21 Jump Street </span></i></b></a>(2012)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Maine</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116502/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Head Above Water</span></i></b></a> (1996)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119746/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">The Myth of Fingerprints</span></i></b></a> (1997)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0247425/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">In the Bedroom</span></i></b></a> (2001)</li></ul><h3><u><span style="color: red;">Maryland:</span></u></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102011/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">He Said, She Said</span></i></b></a> (1991)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163187/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Runaway Bride</span></a> </span></i></b>(1999)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185937/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Blair Witch Project</span></a> </span></i></b>(1999) </li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Massachusetts</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1114740/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Paul Blart: Mall Cop</span></i></b></a> (2009)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2446980/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Joy</span></i></b></a> (2015)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2025690/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">The Finest Hours</span></i></b></a> (2016)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Michigan</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1205489/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Gran Torino</span></i></b></a> (2008)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1477837/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Cedar Rapids</span></i></b></a> (2011)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2106361/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Into the Storm</span></i></b></a> (2014)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Minnesota</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104868/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">The Mighty Ducks </span></i></b></a>(1992)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108451/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Untamed Heart</span></i></b></a> (1993)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0157503/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Drop Dead Gorgeous </span></i></b></a>(1999)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Mississippi</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069393/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Tomorrow</span></i></b></a> (1972)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0126250/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Cookie's Fortune</span></i></b></a> (1999)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454029/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">The Help</span></i></b></a> (2011)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Missouri</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0009209/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Huck and Tom</span></i></b></a> (1918)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070814/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Tom Sawyer</span></a> </span></i></b>(1973)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1107948/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Saving Grace B. Jones</span></i></b></a> (2009)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Montana</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072288/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Thunderbolt and Lightfoot</span></a> </span></i></b>(1974)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073605/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Rancho Deluxe</span></i></b></a> (1975)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212815/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Big Eden</span></i></b></a> (2000)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Nebraska</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033459/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Cheers for Miss Bishop</span></i></b></a> (1941)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0483763/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b><i>California Dreaming</i></b></span></a> (2007)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1150947/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Lovely, Still</span></a> </span></i></b>(2008)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Nevada</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089015/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Desert Hearts</span></i></b></a> (1985)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097332/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b><i>Far from Home</i></b></span></a> (1989)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>New Hampshire</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082846/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">On Golden Pond</span></i></b></a> (1981)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1237838/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Mystery Team</span></i></b> </a>(2009)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2396659/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Before I Sleep</span></a> </span></i></b>(2013)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>New Jersey</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097722/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Lean on Me</span></i></b></a> (1989)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109445/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Clerks</span></a> (</span></i></b>1994)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1059925/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">According to Greta</span></a> </span></i></b>(2009)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>New Mexico</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070091/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">The Gatling Gun</span></i></b></a> (1971)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0862846/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Sunshine Cleaning</span></i></b></a> (2008)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2224004/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Sweetwater</span></i></b></a> (2013)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>New York</u>: </span></h3>(Many, many movies filmed in New York, so I selected three with themes of <b>Broadway.</b>)<br /><ul><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063462/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Producers</span></a> </span></i></b>(1967)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087755/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">The Muppets Take Manhattan</span></i></b></a> (1984)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109348/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Bullets Over Broadway</span></i></b></a> (1994)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>North Carolina</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0281358/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">A Walk to Remember</span></a> </span></i></b>(2002)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416212/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Secret Life of Bees</span></a> </span></i></b>(2008)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">The Hunger Games</span></i></b></a> (2012)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>North Dakota</u>: </span></h3><ul><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078008/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Northern Lights</span></a> </span></i></b>(1978)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Ohio</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080474/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Brubaker</span></i></b></a> (1980)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3963816/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Marauders</span></i></b></a> (2016)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4437216/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Goat</span></i></b></a> (2016)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;"><u>Oklahoma</u>:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0005871/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaws</span></i></b></a> (1915)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086066/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">The Outsiders</span></i></b></a> (1983)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1656170/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Bringing Up Bobby</span></i></b></a> (2011)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1894561/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Cowgirls 'n Angels</span></a> </span></i></b>(2012)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;">Oregon:</span> </h3>(Popular state for filming with many filmed exclusively in Oregon.)<br /><ul><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097240/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Drugstore Cowboy</span></a> </span></i></b>(1989)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113862/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Mr. Holland's Opus</span></i></b></a> (1995)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1838544/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Gone</span></i></b></a> (2012)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;">Pennsylvania:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090329/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Witness</span></i></b></a> (1985)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0217869/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Unbreakable</span></i></b></a> (2000)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790724/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Jack Reacher</span></i></b> </a>(2012)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;">Rhode Island:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115530/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">American Buffalo</span></i></b></a> (1996)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467110/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Underdog</span></i></b> </a>(2007)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1748122/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Moonrise Kingdom</span></i></b></a> (2012)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;">South Carolina:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098383/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Staying Together</span></i></b></a> (1989)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105256/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Rich in Love</span></a> </span></i></b>(1992)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0316465/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Radio</span></a> </span></i></b>(2003)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;">South Dakota:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054315/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Ski Troop Attack</span></i></b></a> (1960)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070174/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Hex</span></i></b></a> (1973)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;">Tennessee:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070895/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b><i>Walking Tall</i></b></span></a> (1973)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1555064/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Country Strong</span></i></b></a> (2010)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2624412/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Boulevard</span></i></b></a> (2014)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;">Texas:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104695/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><i><b>Leap of Faith</b></i></span></a> (1992)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0327137/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><i><span style="color: blue;"><b>Secondhand Lions</b></span></i></a> (2003)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390022/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Friday Night Lights</span></i></b></a> (2004) (except the opening shot of trailer)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;">Utah:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108037/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">The Sandlot</span></i></b></a> (1993) (except for the Dodger Stadium shots)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475293/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">High School Musical</span></i></b></a> (2006)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1542344/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">127 Hours</span></i></b></a> (2010)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;">Vermont:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095188/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Funny Farm</span></i></b> </a>(1988) (except for opening scenes in New York)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0145529/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Time Chasers</span></i></b> </a>(1994)</li><li><b><i><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117718/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Spitfire Grill</span></a> </span></i></b>(1996)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;">Virginia:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029949/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Brother Rat</span></i></b></a> (1938)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108185/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Sommersby</span></i></b></a> (1993) (except opening scene)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116311/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">First Kid</span></i></b></a> (1996)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443272/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Lincoln</span></i></b> </a>(2012)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;">Washington:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069883/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Cinderella Liberty</span></i></b> </a>(1973)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0147800/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">10 Things I Hate About You</span></i></b> </a>(1999)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1742336/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Your Sister's Sister</span></i></b></a> (2011)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2828954/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">7 Minutes</span></i></b></a> (2014)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;">West Virginia:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067109/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Fool's Parade</span></i></b></a> (1971)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093509/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Matewan</span></i></b></a> (1987)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307879/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Burning Annie</span></i></b> </a>(2004)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;">Wisconsin:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073043/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">The Giant Spider Invasion</span></i></b></a> (1975)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1485761/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">No God, No Master</span></i></b></a> (2013)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3074578/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">The Surface</span></i></b> </a>(2014)</li></ul><h3><span style="color: red;">Wyoming:</span></h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081187/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">The Mountain Men</span></i></b></a> (1980)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095904/locations?ref_=tt_ql_dt_6" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Prison</span></i></b></a> (1987)</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>Well? Did the list hold any surprises for you?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-46491375759930160072021-05-11T08:00:00.305-07:002021-06-22T10:28:43.811-07:00Take 42: Minari<div style="text-align: left;"> Tuesday: <i>My "take" on a film.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://a24films.com/films/minari" target="_blank">Minari</a> </i><span style="font-weight: normal;">(2020)</span></h1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://d135u4jtzauizi.cloudfront.net/_thumbnail/A24_MINARI_POSTER.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://d135u4jtzauizi.cloudfront.net/_thumbnail/A24_MINARI_POSTER.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;">"This is the movie we need right now." ~Los Angeles Times</p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Local theaters re-opened after a too-long pandemic shutdown and what better way for me to celebrate than to go see a movie written and directed by an alumnus, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1818032/" target="_blank">Lee Isaac Chung</a>!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">He graduated from the university three years before I stepped onto campus, but was already making a name for himself, and I met him when he returned to receive a Distinguished Alumni Award. What I remember most about our conversation was his kindness and encouragement.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I was over-the-moon excited when his recent film was nominated for six academy awards!!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It's a semi-autobiographical film portraying a Korean-American family that moves to a farm in Arkansas. Although the family has been in America for a while, they had been living in an urban area in California and now struggle to adjust to an almost isolated rural life.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">At the beginning of the film, as the family drives on a highway past country landscapes, I recalled similar scenes viewed from my own family's station wagon during our many moves, and felt immediately drawn into the story. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Minari </i>is well-directed, well-shot, and has a superb cast. The characters are sometimes framed in close-ups, creating an intimate connection, and when the film ended I felt like I was walking away from loved ones.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0950926/?ref_=tt_cl_t10" target="_blank">Yuh-Jung Youn</a> won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for this film. She portrays Soonja, the grandmother... a wonderful character. She's not like a so-called "real" grandma, according to her grandson David <span style="text-align: center;">(</span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10910136/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Alan S. Kim</a><span style="text-align: center;">). He insists she smells like Korea, and tells her...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b></b></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b></b></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>DAVID</b></span> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">Grandma, you're not a real grandma. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>SOONJA</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">What is a real grandma?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: courier;"><b>DAVID</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">They bake cookies! They don't swear! They don't wear men's underwear!</span></div></blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">In another scene, the grandmother plants minari (sometimes known as Korean watercress) near a stream and describes to David...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: courier;"></span></b></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: courier;"></span></b></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: courier;">SOONJA</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: courier;">Minari is truly the best. It grows anywhere, like weeds. So anyone can pick and eat it. Rich or poor, anyone can enjoy it and be healthy. Minari can be put in kimchi, put in stew, put in soup. It can be medicine if you are sick. Minari is wonderful, wonderful!</span></div></blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">The story moves at a slow but steady and purposeful pace with conflict arising from farming, marital, familial, cultural, health issues--life!--and, like the plant, the family needs to be hardy and <a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-resilience.html" target="_blank">resilient</a>. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Echoing Soonja's words, <i><b>Minari</b></i> is wonderful, wonderful!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KQ0gFidlro8" width="320" youtube-src-id="KQ0gFidlro8"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">Trailer</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Notes on content</u>:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>No sex or nudity.</li><li>No violence, but some injury-related blood is shown.</li><li>Infrequent mild profanity. No f-words, but a teen flashes a middle finger at an adult. An anatomical-correct word is used regarding a body part, as well as a slang term.</li></ul></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-44597345708498835332021-05-08T06:21:00.000-07:002021-05-08T06:21:10.675-07:00Reflecting on the 2021 A to Z Challenge<div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" target="_blank">Blogging from A to Z Challenge</a></p></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Reflections 2021 #atozchallenge" border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="930" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5taJe0rxcRQ/YICkNUG_-zI/AAAAAAAAD-4/16xG-d7QCFUN0pPS_g0FUtPBKeP4Loo_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Reflection2021.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When I selected this year's theme--Movies reflect human needs--I kicked it into high gear and started binging on films... watching more than 50 in the six weeks prior to April. Some were new to me and some I re-watched to see if they fit certain topics. (Not all made the cut.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I also went overboard with referencing films in my posts. I initially planned to include <i>up to</i> five movie suggestions each day, but most posts exceeded that, in fact, for the letter L (<i><b><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-love.html" target="_blank">Love</a></b></i>) I suggested 23 films! It's like I turned on a movie reference fire-hose and blasted away.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Some statistics for this year's April posts:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Number of movies I referenced in total during the challenge: 185</li><li>Of those 185, the number of movies I referenced for the first time on this blog: 96</li><li>Of the 50+ movies I watched in preparation for the challenge, 43 were from the public library (free!).</li><li>I forgot to keep track of how many I watched on streaming channels.</li><li>Number of movies I gleaned from reader comments: 79</li><ul><li>(Readers mentioned more than 79 movies, but I made note of 44 I haven't seen, and 35 I want to see again.)</li></ul></ul></div><p>This was my 7th year participating in the A to Z Challenge and yet I still fell short of my goals. I did better at some things, and not so much in others. </p><div style="text-align: left;"><div><b>My biggest disappointment was having very little time to visit blogs.</b> </div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here are the ones I visited consistently (although, sometimes I didn't leave a comment):</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.chaptersfrommylife.com" target="_blank">Chapters From My Life</a></li><li><a href="https://curiousasacathy.com" target="_blank">Curious as a Cathy</a></li><li><a href="https://iainkellywriting.com" target="_blank">Iain Kelly</a></li><li><a href="https://asmile4ufromjanet.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Janet's Smiles</a></li><li><a href="https://quiltingpatch.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Quilting Patchwork Applique</a></li><li><a href="https://tasmanianabroad.com" target="_blank">Tasmanian Abroad</a></li><li><a href="https://thesoundofonehandtyping.com" target="_blank">The Sound of One Hand Typing</a></li><li><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Tossing It Out</a></li><li><a href="https://weekendsinmaine.com" target="_blank">Weekends in Maine</a></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I didn't catch all the A to Z posts on the following blogs, but hope to return to read the ones I missed:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://curiousdaydreams.com" target="_blank">Curious Daydreams</a></li><li><a href="http://how-would-you-know.blogspot.com" target="_blank">How would you know...</a></li><li><a href="https://miadogadventures.wordpress.com/blog/" target="_blank">Mia - Dog On Adventures</a></li><li><a href="https://artismoments.blogspot.com" target="_blank">My Ordinary Moments</a></li><li><a href="http://theroadweveshared.com/blog" target="_blank">The Road We've Shared</a></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>A big <b>shout-out</b> goes to Sue! We met through the A to Z Challenge several years ago and even though she hasn't participated the past couple years, she's continued to follow and comment on my posts. (She's also a screenwriter and loves movies. Her blog: <a href="https://moodmovie.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Suzanne Blazier: A Movie for Every Mood</a>.)</div><div><br /></div><div>If you click on the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Movies Referenced </i><span>tab at the top of the page</span><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>(or click <a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/p/movies-referenced-table.html" target="_blank">here</a>), you will find a tidy table I created listing all the movies I've referenced on this blog over the years including links to the posts where it's mentioned. </div><div><p>There's also a page with the links to <b>all</b> my A to Z posts (the titles, linked to the post) found through a tab above, or click <a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/p/a-to-z-challenge.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>I set a goal to be more consistent with writing <b>My "Take"</b> reviews (also found through a tab at the top of the page)... <b>I already have one scheduled to post on Tuesday (May 11). I hope you'll check it out!</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-17144252184345621972021-04-30T09:20:00.001-07:002021-04-30T09:20:28.627-07:00Movies reflect human needs: Zone...get out of it!<p><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" target="_blank">Blogging from A to Z Challenge</a></p><div><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2019/03/blogging-from-to-z-theme-reveal.html" target="_blank">Theme</a>: <i>Movies reflect human needs...</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Abril Fatface;"><u>Z</u>one...get out of it!</span></h1><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Je9IE8aUL0k/YFosP9MTGyI/AAAAAAAADGA/BqH79mW5_FE8X12FhESuNXU9sYRlqjPFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Peeking%2Bthrough%2Bblinds.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Je9IE8aUL0k/YFosP9MTGyI/AAAAAAAADGA/BqH79mW5_FE8X12FhESuNXU9sYRlqjPFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Peeking%2Bthrough%2Bblinds.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="http://storyblocks.com">storyblocks.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><i style="font-weight: bold;"></i></p><blockquote><i style="font-weight: bold;">There is no growth in the comfort zone; there is no comfort in the growth zone. </i><span>(*)</span> </blockquote><p></p><blockquote><b><i>Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered you will never grow.</i></b> (<a href="https://www.biography.com/writer/ralph-waldo-emerson" target="_blank">Ralph Waldo Emerson</a>)</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;">We need to get out of our comfort zone and stretch our abilities. <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs.html" target="_blank">Transformation</a> </i>typically requires getting out of our zone.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So what holds us back? Very often it's fear -- fear of the unknown, fear of failure (or fear of success!), perhaps even being afraid of the effort it will take (similar to what might keep us from saying <b><i><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-yes-to.html" target="_blank">yes to opportunities</a></i></b>). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">During Freshman orientation at the University of Utah, I followed a group of youngsters to the Fine Arts building. At 50 years of age, I was what they termed a "non-traditional" student, and I was waaay out of my comfort zone. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As we walked, I saw a path that I was fairly certain led to the lot where my car was parked. It seemed like every ounce of my being screamed out to leave and go back home and knit socks (which I've never done, but it seemed more doable than going back to school!).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I wish I'd had a fantastic soundtrack playing in that moment...like Walter Mitty (more on that below)...when I made the conscious decision to turn away from the escape route and continue to my degree.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b></b></i><blockquote><i><b>You are your only border -- throw yourself over it!</b></i> (<a href="https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/asian-literature-biographies/hafiz" target="_blank">Hafiz</a>, Persian poet)</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;">Perhaps it's another form of a comfort zone, but it's nice to be able to choose when and where and how we stretch our boundaries. Sometimes, though, life has a way of kicking us out of our zone, but as discussed in <b><i><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2020/04/blogging-from-to-z-a.html" target="_blank">Agency</a></i></b>, we can choose to grow from the experience, or not.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Movies reflecting the need (although sometimes forced) to get out of the comfort zone...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266543/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Finding Nemo</a> </i>(2003)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>In order to find his son, this serious clownfish must move beyond his worry-wart boundaries.</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-style: italic;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1504320/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">The King's Speech</a> </b>(2010)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Due to his tendency to stutter, King George VI of England is not comfortable with public speaking, but he faces the challenge.</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4729430/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3" target="_blank">Klaus</a> </i>(2019)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A freeloading young man gets pushed out of his cushy environment when his father sends him to an inhospitable, frozen, island.</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088011/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Romancing the Stone</a> </i>(1984)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A timid romance writer is forced into dangerous situations in order to help her sister who's held hostage.</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0359950/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">The Secret Life of Walter Mitty</a> </i>(2013)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I absolutely love the scene where Walter (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001774/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Ben Stiller</a>), with the song <i>Ground Control to Major Tom </i>playing in his imagination,<i> </i>leaps out of his comfort zone and into a helicopter about to fly into a possible storm with an intoxicated pilot! My heart soars every time I watch that scene. (Found <a href="https://youtu.be/FMDsONzh6Qw" target="_blank">here</a>.)</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1020072/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3" target="_blank">Selma</a></i> (2014)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>In order to bring about change, and to secure equal voting rights, a whole lot of people leave their comfort zone and join Martin Luther King, Jr. in a march from Selma, Alabama to the state's capital in Montgomery.</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098554/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Uncle Buck</a></i></b> (1989)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Watching his nieces and nephew and staying in the suburbs is not this bachelor's forte, but he agrees to do it anyway, to help his brother.</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103241/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank"><b><i>What About Bob?</i></b></a> (1991)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>An "obsessive-compulsive neurotic" man willingly takes baby steps to stretch his boundaries.</li></ul><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>What movie would you add? Do you find ways to stretch beyond your comfort zone? Have you experienced times when circumstances forced you out of your zone? (Did you grow from it?)</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> *An online search shows this quote attributed to several people, so I'm not sure who originally said it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">(Note: The movies listed might not be completely family-friendly. See my "Movie Content" information on the blog's sidebar.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-15981497051299898522021-04-29T08:47:00.001-07:002021-04-29T08:47:48.496-07:00Movies reflect human needs: Yes to opportunities.<p><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" target="_blank">Blogging from A to Z Challenge</a></p><div><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2019/03/blogging-from-to-z-theme-reveal.html" target="_blank">Theme</a>: <i>Movies reflect human needs...</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Abril Fatface;"><u>Y</u>es to opportunities.</span></h1><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eJEnOCuPFmE/YFoyg5F_rDI/AAAAAAAADGY/dPMA6PknjNw_yCSE7YpQPwKku6LdvixUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Man%2Bin%2Bred%2Boveralls.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2038" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eJEnOCuPFmE/YFoyg5F_rDI/AAAAAAAADGY/dPMA6PknjNw_yCSE7YpQPwKku6LdvixUQCLcBGAsYHQ/w318-h320/Man%2Bin%2Bred%2Boveralls.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="http://storyblocks.com">storyblocks.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="text-align: left;"><blockquote><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.</i></b> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">(<a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Edison" target="_blank">Thomas Edison</a>)</span></blockquote></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hoooboy, I can relate to that. I've bemoaned opportunities lost, not usually because they looked like work, though, but because they looked like <i>more</i> work. I routinely feel overwhelmed because I allow myself to get bogged down in tasks, so, when opportunity knocks, I'm usually too tired to open the door.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I felt chagrin while watching <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454921/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">The Pursuit of Happyness</a></i> (2006). Based on a true story, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000226/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Will Smith</a> portrays <a href="https://www.chrisgardnermedia.com/biography" target="_blank">Chris Gardner</a>, a man who despite being a single father, homeless, and financially struggling, accepts an offer for an <i>unpaid</i> internship that <i>might</i> lead to his dream job. Not convenient--<i>at all!!</i>--and a whole lot of work with no guarantee for the desired outcome. I felt painfully aware of my shortcomings as I watched him grab opportunity by the overall straps and run!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The times I managed to say yes to interesting ventures, it was after I reminded myself that opportunity is rarely convenient and that if I select only convenient opportunities, I will miss out on a lot. (I wrote about one such opportunity <a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2012/09/motivation-grab-opportunity.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and shared one of the videos <a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2013/05/comic-relief-commercial.html" target="_blank">here</a> and the other <a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2013/05/sharing-other-commercial.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We need to say <i>yes</i> to life. Not yes to every request or invitation, but embrace the opportunities that pull at us, lights a spark within, or lines-up with our purpose.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In each of these films, the main character says <i>yes</i> to opportunity...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388980/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">The Greatest Game Ever Played</a> </i>(2005)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408985/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Last Holiday</a> </i>(2006)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4341582/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Queen of Katwe</a> </i>(2016)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0806165/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">The Ramen Girl</a> </i>(2008)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2077851/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Sleepwalk with Me</a> </i>(2012)</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2948372/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Soul</a> </i>(2020)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1068680/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Yes Man</a> </i>(2008)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>How about you? Have you accepted opportunities? Have you missed some chances because it looked like work, or was inconvenient, or maybe didn't recognize it as an opportunity at the time? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">(Note: The movies listed might not be completely family-friendly. See my "Movie Content" information on the blog's sidebar.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-29592344597155985702021-04-28T08:28:00.005-07:002021-04-28T08:32:47.664-07:00Movies reflect human needs: Xenodochy - kindness<p><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" target="_blank">Blogging from A to Z Challenge</a></p><div><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2019/03/blogging-from-to-z-theme-reveal.html" target="_blank">Theme</a>: <i>Movies reflect human needs...</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Abril Fatface;"><u>X</u>enodochy - kindness</span></h1><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ri5zR3eEccw/YFos2KULvQI/AAAAAAAADGI/_sXcWDbZn5AdHq9Mr1y5Mvih0Dd0FUSegCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Young%2Bwoman%2Bgiving%2Bdandelion%2Bto%2Bolder%2Blady.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2045" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ri5zR3eEccw/YFos2KULvQI/AAAAAAAADGI/_sXcWDbZn5AdHq9Mr1y5Mvih0Dd0FUSegCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Young%2Bwoman%2Bgiving%2Bdandelion%2Bto%2Bolder%2Blady.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="http://storyblocks.com">storyblocks.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">According to one definition (found <a href="https://thoughtcatalog.com/january-nelson/2018/06/words-that-start-with-x/" target="_blank">here</a>) xenodochy is "an attitude of kindness to strangers." </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>We scientists have found that doing a kindness produces the single most reliable momentary increase in well-being of any exercise we have tested.</i></b> (<a href="https://positivepsychology.com/who-is-martin-seligman/" target="_blank">Martin Seligman</a>)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><b><i>Ah, kindness. What a simple way to tell another struggling soul that there is love to be found in this world.</i></b> (<a href="http://www.alisonmalee.com/details" target="_blank">Alison Malee</a>)</div></blockquote><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"></div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Being friendly to strangers is certainly an act of kindness, and that made me think of something I posted in 2017. I'm re-posting part of it here:</div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><br /></div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Friendly encounters with strangers lift my spirits. Such as when a woman in Italy showed me how to work the laundromat washer, and a gentleman who observed me gazing at a scenic landscape, stood beside me and expressed, "Bellissimo. Bellissimo."<br /><br />I am grateful for friendly tall grocery shoppers who hand me items from the top shelf. And for the woman on the hospital elevator who held the door for me, suspecting, in my distraught state, I had gotten off on the wrong floor. She was right. And kind.<br /><br />So, I feel a tender spot for friendly movie characters who reach out to strangers in their time of need. Often, their kindness has far reaching effects like when little Jenny offers Forrest a seat next to her on the school bus (<i><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109830/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Forrest Gump</a></b>, </i>1994), or when Sister Husband (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000330/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Stockard Channing</a>) invites Novalee (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000204/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Natalie Portman</a>), a teenager with a newborn, to stay with her (<i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0198021/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Where the Heart Is</a></i>, 2000).<br /><br />But not all friendliness or kindness are the grand acts. Sometimes there's a friendly character in a minor role, like Marshall (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001115/?ref_=tt_cl_t9" target="_blank">Ossie Davis</a>), a chauffeur who helps Joe (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000158/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Tom Hanks</a>) select clothes (<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099892/?ref_=ttmi_tt" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Joe Versus the Volcano</a>,</span> 1990), or Sara's (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0578949/?ref_=tt_cl_t2" target="_blank">Eva Mendes</a>) nice boss, Max (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0035060/?ref_=tt_cl_t6" target="_blank">Adam Arkin</a>) in <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386588/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Hitch</a> </i>(2005).<br /><br />Let's not forget the background extras, either... the waitress, cab driver, doorman, passenger on the train, pedestrian. Since the camera's focus is on the main action, it's easy to overlook what's going on around the main characters.</span> </div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><br /></div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">(I've been an "extra" in several movies... there are lots of friendly and kind acts going on in the background that usually go unnoticed while watching the film.)</div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><br /></div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">When I consider movies reflecting kindness, these come to mind:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3224458/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood</a> </i>(2019)</li><li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878804/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">The Blind Side</a> </i>(2009)</li><li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0400435/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">The Five People You Meet in Heaven</a> </i>(2004)</li><li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1839654/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">The Magic of Belle Isle</a> </i>(2012)</li><li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0223897/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Pay It Forward</a> </i>(2000)</li><li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2543472/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_7" target="_blank">Wonder</a> </i>(2017) (My review found <a href="https://amazon.clearplay.com/wonder/" target="_blank">here</a>.)</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Which movie(s) would you add? Can you recall a time <i>you</i> were treated kindly by a stranger? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">(Note: The movies listed might not be completely family-friendly. See my "Movie Content" information on the blog's sidebar.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-78714333684969817562021-04-27T09:04:00.001-07:002021-04-27T09:05:00.064-07:00Movies reflect human needs: Wonder--curiosity<p><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" target="_blank">Blogging from A to Z Challenge</a></p><div><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2019/03/blogging-from-to-z-theme-reveal.html" target="_blank">Theme</a>: <i>Movies reflect human needs...</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Abril Fatface;"><u>W</u>onder -- curiosity</span></h1><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R4DqHSM3A7I/YIcVrD1DefI/AAAAAAAADIk/QxtRdH90gIIz6fn7EFDQeaMF1ikXFIS-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Woman%2Bwondering%252C%2Bquestion%2Bmark.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1434" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R4DqHSM3A7I/YIcVrD1DefI/AAAAAAAADIk/QxtRdH90gIIz6fn7EFDQeaMF1ikXFIS-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Woman%2Bwondering%252C%2Bquestion%2Bmark.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="http://storyblocks.com">storyblocks.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>One day, during my teen years, as I sat in my sister's salon chair while she trimmed my hair, I wondered aloud, "I wonder what I'd look like with bangs." And suddenly--snip, snip, snip--I didn't need to imagine it. Be careful what you wonder aloud! (I looked good, by the way.)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>But seriously, wondering--being curious, is a human need.</span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. </i>(<a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Albert-Einstein" target="_blank">Albert Einstein</a>)</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">Asking questions from a place of curious wondering is quite beneficial. Questions can kickstart creative ideas and bring solutions. <i>How does this work? Is there a pattern or a connection here? </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7533152/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind</a> </i>(2019)</div><div><ul><li>While looking at a bicycle headlight connected to a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamo" target="_blank">dynamo</a>, a young teenager in Malawi wonders how the mechanism works, and that curiosity helps him figure out a way to save his village from famine. (Based on a true story.)</li></ul><div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2446980/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6" target="_blank">Joy</a> </i>(2015)</div><div><ul><li><a href="https://www.biography.com/personality/joy-mangano" target="_blank">Joy Mangano</a> (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2225369/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Jennifer Lawrence</a>) cuts her hands while wringing out a mop used to clean up a spill with broken glass. She wonders about a solution, and it leads to her first major invention. (Based on a true story.) (My review found <a href="https://www.clearplay.com/MovieDash.aspx?id=4911" target="_blank">here</a>.)</li></ul></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We need curiosity for more than inventions, though. Looking at ourselves and others through a lens of curiosity can move us beyond being judgmental. <i>I wonder why I have that tendency? I wonder... what's that person's story?</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i></i></b><blockquote><b><i>Replace judgment with curiosity.</i></b><span> (<a href="http://www.lynnnottage.com/about.html" target="_blank">Lynn Nottage</a>)</span></blockquote><span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0986264/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Like Stars on Earth</a> (Taare Zameen Par) </i>(2007)</div><div><ul><li>A teacher approaches a "problem" child through curiosity, rather than with the harsh assessment of others, and wonders about his background--family, past school performance, behavior patterns--and discovers the root of the boy's learning difficulties.</li></ul></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Wondering... especially asking <i>what if</i>... can play a role in <b><i><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-storytelling.html" target="_blank">Storytelling</a></i></b>.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>That's what started the story of <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112573/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Braveheart</a></i> (1995) as its screenwriter, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908824/" target="_blank">Randall Wallace</a>, stood outside the castle in Edinburgh, Scotland, looking at a statue of a man who bore the same last name -- William Wallace. Nearby was a statue of Robert the Bruce. He writes, "<b>I began instantly to wonder</b>, <i>What if there was something in the life and death of William Wallace that had the power to transform Robert the Bruce from a plotting, cowardly betrayer to the greatest king in his country's history?" </i><span>(*Citation below)</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>When I posted about </span><b><i><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-quest.html" target="_blank">Quest</a></i></b><span>, Frédérique (find her blog </span><a href="https://quiltingpatch.blogspot.com" target="_blank">here</a><span>) commented that a quest is like curiosity to her, curiosity for what is around us. </span><span>I hadn't thought of that... how curiosity can be linked to a quest. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>And that made me think... it was Randall Wallace's curiosity about his forefathers that took him to Scotland in the first place. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">I went on a similar quest in 2019, curious to see if I could flesh out a story about a specific Scottish ancestor... but after an unnerving experience and lots of wondering--<i>What just happened? </i><i>How</i><i> does that connect? Is this significant?--</i>the story I was chasing led me down an unexpected path. (I posted about that journey <a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2019/12/as-pendulum-swings.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>What do you wonder about? Has curiosity sent you on a quest? Do you approach problems from an angle of curiosity?</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">(*</span><u><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Living-Braveheart-Life-Finding-Courage-ebook/dp/B00PWOHCHS/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=living+the+braveheart+life&qid=1619502584&sr=8-2" target="_blank">Living the Braveheart Life: Finding the Courage to Follow Your Heart</a></u><span style="font-size: small;"> by </span>Randall Wallace<span style="font-size: small;">)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">(Note: The movies listed might not be completely family-friendly. See my "Movie Content" information on the blog's sidebar.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-68291298471319580762021-04-26T07:52:00.000-07:002021-04-26T07:52:48.287-07:00Movies reflect human needs: Vulnerability<p><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" target="_blank">Blogging from A to Z Challenge</a></p><div><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2019/03/blogging-from-to-z-theme-reveal.html" target="_blank">Theme</a>: <i>Movies reflect human needs...</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Abril Fatface;"><u>V</u>ulnerability</span></h1><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4CAwYGRXuGo/YFjXrYKALII/AAAAAAAADF4/e5Ft7PeVajEFjb08lswfzk3lJlDziM5-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Birdnest%2Bwith%2Beggs.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1784" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4CAwYGRXuGo/YFjXrYKALII/AAAAAAAADF4/e5Ft7PeVajEFjb08lswfzk3lJlDziM5-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Birdnest%2Bwith%2Beggs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="http://storyblocks.com">storyblocks.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"></i><blockquote><i style="font-weight: bold;">Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change. </i>(<a href="https://brenebrown.com/about/" target="_blank">Brené Brown</a>)</blockquote></div><div>I had a different topic selected for V, but one night I repeatedly dreamed that I needed to post about vulnerability.</div><div><br />Perhaps that dream and topic is aimed specifically at me. I've built plenty of walls over the years, protecting myself, making sure I wouldn't be vulnerable. But, when I block myself from feeling negative emotions, I block positive emotions, too.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've come to see it as vulner<b style="font-style: italic;">ability -- </b>an ability, an asset -- and that helps me remember that even though being vulnerable opens myself up to being wounded, the ability to <i>feel</i> that pain is important.</div><blockquote><div><b><i>Being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure.</i></b> (<a href="https://www.biography.com/musician/bob-marley" target="_blank">Bob Marley</a>)</div></blockquote><div>When I thought about it, I realized vulnerability is entwined through all the human needs I've covered so far...</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2020/04/blogging-from-to-z-a.html" target="_blank">agency</a></li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2019/05/blogging-from-to-z-b.html" target="_blank">belonging</a></li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2015/11/blogging-from-to-z-c.html" target="_blank">creativity</a> </li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2019/03/blogging-from-to-z-d.html" target="_blank">dreams</a></li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-empathy.html" target="_blank">empathy</a></li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-forgiveness.html" target="_blank">forgiveness</a></li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-gratitude.html" target="_blank">gratitude</a></li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-humor.html" target="_blank">humor</a> </li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-integrity.html" target="_blank">integrity</a></li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-joy.html" target="_blank">joy</a></li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-knowledge.html" target="_blank">knowledge</a> </li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-love.html" target="_blank">love</a></li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-meaning-and.html" target="_blank">meaning and purpose</a></li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-nourishment.html" target="_blank">nourishment</a></li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-optimism.html" target="_blank">optimism</a></li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-play.html" target="_blank">play</a></li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-quest.html" target="_blank">quests</a></li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-resilience.html" target="_blank">resilience</a></li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-storytelling.html" target="_blank">storytelling</a> </li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs.html" target="_blank">transformation</a></li><li><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2021/04/movies-reflect-human-needs-uniqueness.html" target="_blank">uniqueness</a></li><li>vulnerability!</li></ul><div>And it plays a part in the human needs I'll post for w, x, y, and z.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>When considering movies reflecting vulnerability, these scenes came to mind...</div><div><br /></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458352/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">The Devil Wears Prada</a></i> (2006)</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>When the "Dragon Lady" (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000658/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Meryl Streep</a>) without make-up and evidently crying, lets her guard down and discusses her upcoming divorce. (Click <a href="https://youtu.be/IxYPI_Qdavg" target="_blank">here</a> for that scene.)</li></ul></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0463998/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Freedom Writers</a> </i>(2007)</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The students open up and share about their lives and horrific experiences. (Click <a href="https://youtu.be/lLL7nShKplU" target="_blank">here</a> for the scene.)</li></ul></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0125439/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Notting Hill </a> </i>(1999) </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span>Trying to be <i>invulnerable</i>, William (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000424/?ref_=tt_cl_t2" target="_blank">Hugh Grant</a>) wants to protect himself from further hurt, and Anna (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000210/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Julia Roberts</a>) vulnerably expresses, "... don't forget... I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her." (Click <a href="https://youtu.be/RESwG23_YGw" target="_blank">here</a> for the scene.)</span></li></ul><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0438315/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Peaceful Warrior</a></i> (2006)</div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Socrates (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000560/?ref_=tt_cl_t2" target="_blank">Nick Nolte</a>) tells Dan (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1310709/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Scott Mechlowicz</a>), "<b><i>A warrior is not about perfection or victory or invulnerability. He's about absolute vulnerability. That is the only true courage.</i></b>"</li></ul></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096320/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Twins</a> </i>(1988)</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Vincent (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000362/?ref_=tt_cl_t2" target="_blank">Danny DeVito</a>) felt abandoned and unwanted for most of his life, so when he finally meets his birthmother, his expression of apprehensive hopefulness permeates the vulnerable moment. (Click <a href="https://youtu.be/0sNSVtTcxpo" target="_blank">here</a> for the scene.)</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Do you recall or have a favorite movie scene portraying vulnerability? What are your thoughts about vulnerability weaving through our human needs? Were you surprised by this, too?</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div>(Note: The movies listed might not be completely family-friendly. See my "Movie Content" information on the blog's sidebar.)</div><div><br /></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-68405190235463188002021-04-24T07:04:00.000-07:002021-04-24T07:04:29.115-07:00Movies reflect human needs: Uniqueness<p><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" target="_blank">Blogging from A to Z Challenge</a></p><div><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2019/03/blogging-from-to-z-theme-reveal.html" target="_blank">Theme</a>: <i>Movies reflect human needs...</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Abril Fatface;"><u>U</u>niqueness</span></h1><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D_Jr5canzxM/YFjVghIbllI/AAAAAAAADFw/h_4qQsCVOIsO6OS9miosufOFoZSP3iDcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Snowflake%2Bwith%2Bdark%2Bbackground.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D_Jr5canzxM/YFjVghIbllI/AAAAAAAADFw/h_4qQsCVOIsO6OS9miosufOFoZSP3iDcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Snowflake%2Bwith%2Bdark%2Bbackground.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="http://storyblocks.com">storyblocks.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote><blockquote><p><b><i>Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.</i></b> (<a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Margaret-Mead" target="_blank">Margaret Mead</a>)</p></blockquote><blockquote><p><b><i>We are meant to be different. When we can accept this, then there is no competition and no comparison. To try to be like another is to shrivel our soul.</i></b> (<a href="https://www.louisehay.com/about/" target="_blank">Louise Hay</a>) </p></blockquote></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-size: 16px;"><div>We are all unique without even trying... we were born that way. So, if we are already unique, how does this fit with human needs? </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, first of all, because we need to accept ourselves, accept our own uniqueness... size, shape, likes, dislikes, ideas, talents...</div><div><br /></div><div>I think of <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163187/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Runaway Bride</a> </i>(1999) and how Maggie (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000210/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Julia Roberts</a>) loses herself in relationships and needs to get in touch with her own preferences, her own tastes. She has to get to know herself. </div><div><br /></div><div>John Nash (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000128/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Russell Crowe</a>) has to accept his thought processes and learn how to work with them in <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268978/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">A Beautiful Mind</a> </i>(2001). (Based on a true story.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Self-acceptance can be tough enough without others ridiculing, judging, rejecting... I think of how some of the characters in the following films struggle to find acceptance.</div><div><ul><li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1485796/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">The Greatest Showman</a> </i>(2017) (My review found <a href="https://amazon.clearplay.com/the-greatest-showman/" target="_blank">here</a>.)</li><li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4364194/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">The Peanut Butter Falcon</a> </i>(2019)</li><li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9252508/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_4" target="_blank">Tall Girl</a> </i>(2019)</li><li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2543472/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6" target="_blank">Wonder</a> </i>(2017) (My review found <a href="https://amazon.clearplay.com/wonder/" target="_blank">here</a>.)</li></ul></div><div>Which brings me to the second point... it's easy to forget that <b>we <i>need the uniqueness</i> of others. </b> We can learn something from everyone we meet, no matter our physical, emotional, mental, cultural, social differences. </div><div><br /></div><div>There have been times when I've associated with people so dissimilar from me--coworkers, committee members, church congregants--that I wondered how we could possibly get along, and wondered why we were thrown together in whatever situation. And then they shared their thoughts and suggestions and I realize... <i>This! This is why!</i> There's no way I would have come up with the solutions or ideas they did since my thoughts travel a different path.</div><div><br /></div><div>Great leaders surround themselves with people of differing views. Business and sports teams need a variety of skills. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210166/?ref_=ttpl_pl_tt" target="_blank"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Moneyball</i> </a>(2011) is a wonderful example of someone thinking differently and taking a unique approach. Billy Beane (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000093/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Brad Pitt</a>) decides to use statistical data analysis to select players for the Oakland A's, selecting some who might have been considered no-name misfits.</div><div><br /></div><div>Movies featuring crews of crooks and criminals give examples of recognizing the need for a variety of people with particular skillsets! (That's a bit unnerving! 😄)</div><div><ul><li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061578/?ref_=vp_back" target="_blank">The Dirty Dozen</a> </i>(1967)</li><li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317740/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">The Italian Job</a></i> (2003)</li><li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0240772/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Ocean's Eleven</a> </i>(2001)</li><li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070735/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">The Sting</a> </i>(1973)</li></ul></div><div>And where would spies be without different thinkers? They need techie agents...</div><div><ul><li>Any James Bond movie!</li><li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8242084/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">My Spy</a> </i>(2020)</li><li><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5814534/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Spies in Disguise</a> </i>(2019)</li></ul></div><div>I watch a variety of movie genres, and movies from different countries or cultures, because they expand my mind and my view, but I can't think of, nor have I seen, all movies that fit all topics, that's why I love when you share your thoughts and suggestions, too!</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are a bunch of questions/prompts to get you started, if needed:</div><ul><li><b><b>What movies come to your mind when you consider uniqueness? </b></b></li><li><b>Have you seen a movie recently with a character struggling with self-acceptance, or accepting the difference of others?</b></li><li><b>Do you enjoy avant-garde movies? </b>(experimental, unusual or unique)</li><li><b>The Oscars will be presented tomorrow. Do you watch the Academy Awards? Have you seen any of the 2021 nominated movies? </b>(You can find the nominees <a href="https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2021" target="_blank">here</a>.)</li><li><b>Have you ever seen a movie character and thought, "Hey, that's me!"</b></li><li><b>Have you ever been in or wanted to be in a movie? </b></li><li><b>If you could be inserted into any movie scene, which one would you choose?</b></li><li><b>What question/prompt do you wish I would have included?</b></li></ul><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">(Note: The movies listed might not be completely family-friendly. See my "Movie Content" information on the blog's sidebar.)</span></div></div></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-14086974711887102072021-04-23T08:00:00.020-07:002021-04-23T08:00:00.164-07:00Movies reflect human needs: Transformation<p><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" target="_blank">Blogging from A to Z Challenge</a></p><div><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2019/03/blogging-from-to-z-theme-reveal.html" target="_blank">Theme</a>: <i>Movies reflect human needs...</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Abril Fatface;"><u>T</u>ransformation</span></h1><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-66uren2ALgw/YFjMRMYSNOI/AAAAAAAADFo/LFSsJnYmhT00sMfJ6L0UHeSTtUN9ghaKwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Butterfly.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-66uren2ALgw/YFjMRMYSNOI/AAAAAAAADFo/LFSsJnYmhT00sMfJ6L0UHeSTtUN9ghaKwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Butterfly.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="http://storyblocks.com">storyblocks.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Think of this as a good character arc. Any story worth it's salt will have a character transform or change by the end. Humans need to transform, to overcome challenges, to improve. We are dynamic, not static, beings. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I read an article years ago that mentioned a woman who destroyed all her journals because she wasn't that person any more. As an avid journalist, that broke my heart! Destroying her journals buried the path she took in her transformation. None of us should be the same person we were 10, 20, 30 years ago. (Hopefully we are an improved version!)</div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living.</i> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gail_Sheehy" target="_blank">Gail Sheehy</a>)</div></blockquote><blockquote><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">We can't become what we need to be by remaining what we are. </i>(<a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Oprah-Winfrey" target="_blank">Oprah Winfrey</a>) </p></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4244998/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3" target="_blank">Alpha</a> </i>(2018)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Separated from the hunting party during a traumatic accident, Keda (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2240346/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Kodi Smit-McPhee</a>) must find his way back to his tribe. He's a different young man by the end of the story. The wolf who accompanies him also changes. (My review found <a href="https://try.clearplay.com/alpha/" target="_blank">here</a>.)</li></ul><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119822/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">As Good As It Gets</a> </i>(1997)</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Melvin (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000197/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Jack Nicholson</a>) slowly transforms in several ways. His attitude softens towards a dog, he gains appreciation for his gay neighbor, and some of his OCD habits lessen.</li></ul><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109830/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Forrest Gump</a> </i>(1994)</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Although Forrest (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000158/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t1" target="_blank">Tom Hanks</a>) grows in confidence and responsibilities, we see dramatic changes in Jenny (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000705/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t27" target="_blank">Robin Wright</a>), and Lt. Dan (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000641/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t62" target="_blank">Gary Sinise</a>). (My review found <a href="https://www.clearplay.com/MovieDash.aspx?id=163&movie=Forrest+Gump" target="_blank">here</a>.)</li></ul></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6966692/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Green Book</a> </i>(2018)</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Tony Lip (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001557/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Viggo Mortensen</a>) evolves from racist to tolerant, to respectful, to friend as he chauffeurs Don Shirley, an African-American pianist on tour. </li></ul></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107048/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Groundhog Day</a> </i>(1993)</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>It takes years of living the same day over and over before Phil (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000195/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Bill Murray</a>) puts his time to use in improvement and growth. He's a changed man by the end.</li></ul></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0219854/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_7" target="_blank">The Kid</a></i> (2000)</div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The older Russ (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000246/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Bruce Willis</a>) becomes a kinder, less tense, happier person as he confronts his past with the help of his younger self.</li></ul><div><b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2331143/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2" target="_blank">Like Father, Like Son</a></i></b> (2013)</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>In this Japanese drama, Ryota (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0298048/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Masaharu Fukuyama</a>) begins to question his approach to parenting (workaholic disciplinarian) and slowly changes.</li></ul></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8242084/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">My Spy</a> </i>(2020)</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>CIA operative and tough-guy (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1176985/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Dave Bautista</a>) softens around the edges, so to speak, while surveilling a mom and her precocious daughter.</li></ul><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093693/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Overboard</a></i> (1987)</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>In this film, "Annie" (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000443/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Goldie Hawn</a>) goes through a major transformation, but all of the main characters, including the children, gradually change.</li></ul></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088011/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Romancing the Stone</a></i> (1984)</div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Joan Wilder (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000678/?ref_=tt_cl_t2" target="_blank">Kathleen Turner</a>) becomes braver and more confident as the movie progresses.</li></ul></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b>In what ways have you changed over the years? Are you still growing? </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div>(Note: The movies listed might not be completely family-friendly. See my "Movie Content" information on the blog's sidebar.)</div><div><br /></div></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220008586703373188.post-10200294796297971822021-04-22T07:42:00.000-07:002021-04-22T07:42:01.029-07:00Movies reflect human needs: Storytelling<p><a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/" target="_blank">Blogging from A to Z Challenge</a></p><div><a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2019/03/blogging-from-to-z-theme-reveal.html" target="_blank">Theme</a>: <i>Movies reflect human needs...</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Abril Fatface;"><u>S</u>torytelling</span></h1><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a16iTl0B7as/UPRz2AH_QGI/AAAAAAAABIk/IfHpe9XCbCIcPILt2mpS3JzOUS1VbvsywCPcBGAYYCw/s2497/IMG_0472%2B-%2BVersion%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2113" data-original-width="2497" height="271" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a16iTl0B7as/UPRz2AH_QGI/AAAAAAAABIk/IfHpe9XCbCIcPILt2mpS3JzOUS1VbvsywCPcBGAYYCw/w320-h271/IMG_0472%2B-%2BVersion%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of one my <i>many</i> journals.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Abril Fatface;"><br /></span></div><div>I had another topic prepared for the letter S, but when I posted my <a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2019/03/blogging-from-to-z-theme-reveal.html" target="_blank">theme reveal</a> in March, an A to Z team member and storyteller from Hungary, <a href="http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Zalka Csenge Virág</a> asked, "... is storytelling a universal need?" </div><div><br /></div><div>And that got me to thinking... storytelling isn't specifically listed as a universal human need (except as it might tie into "self-expression" and "communication") but it truly is universal, and humans need stories of <i><b>all </b></i>kinds, but especially <i>our own </i>stories.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last year I read <u><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39893128-love-your-enemies?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=rzf2p3hEgp&rank=1" target="_blank">Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from the Culture of Contempt</a></u> by <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Arthur-C-Brooks/e/B001HOU7RE/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1" target="_blank">Arthur C. Brooks</a>, and a chapter titled <i><b>Tell Me a Story</b></i> resonated with me. In it he writes...</div><blockquote><div>"When we tell stories, our brains unite, giving us the chance to at least understand one another, whether we ultimately agree or disagree. We can break down prejudice and division--we can defeat myside bias and induce openness..."</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">He also states...</div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">"When human stories are present, good things happen. But the opposite is also true: <b>a storyless person disappears</b>. In Ancient Rome, a punishment worse than death for a criminal was <i>damnation memoriae</i>, or "condemnation of memory," in which all traces of the person would be expunged, down to chipping their faces off statues." [boldness added]</div></blockquote><div>So although fictional stories are dearly important, and <i>all</i> films are a form of storytelling, for the sake of focus and space I selected movies based on <b>published stories about real people, or their memoirs. </b></div><div><br /></div><div>In previous posts this month I've tried to note when a film was <b>based on a true story</b> (I may have missed a few). Here are some more...</div><div><br /></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268978/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">A Beautiful Mind</a> </i>(2001)</div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264464/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Catch Me If You Can</a> </i>(2002)</div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0879870/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Eat Pray Love</a> </i>(2010)</div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0463998/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Freedom Writers</a> </i>(2007)</div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2378507/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">The Glass Castle</a> </i>(2017)</div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056172/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Lawrence of Arabia</a> </i>(1962)</div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3741834/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_7" target="_blank">Lion</a> </i>(2016)</div><div><b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3244786/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">The Music of Silence</a></i></b> (2017) ("My Take" review found <a href="https://reelfocus.blogspot.com/2019/06/take-40-music-of-silence.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089755/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Out of Africa</a> </i>(1985)</div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120102/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Seven Years in Tibet</a> </i>(1997)</div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059742/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">The Sound of Music</a> </i>(1965)</div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2980516/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">The Theory of Everything</a> </i>(2014)</div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2167266/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Tracks</a> </i>(2013)</div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103262/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken</a> </i>(1991)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Do you keep a journal? Are you writing a memoir? Does your family have treasured stories passed down through generations? Has there been a time when learning someone's story helped you understand them?</b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div>(Note: The movies listed might not be completely family-friendly. See my "Movie Content" information on the blog's sidebar.)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Trudyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783836223461464801noreply@blogger.com18