25 things

Facebook is a virus and a drug. Almost everyday I sign on and check up on the people that Facebook tells me have done something new or added something different. Almost every day I willingly participate in Facebook, adding to the problem and not trying to find a solution. Almost everyday I move my mouse over the "Account Delete" button and hold a whispered conversation with myself about should I or should I not just end it right now and go cold turkey. You can check, I'm still on Facebook.

The current trend in Facebook is not the SuperWall or movie quizzes or virtual aquariums but a meme. "25 Random Things" is a note that gets passed on and changed so that everyone can get to know more about you and the crazy things that even your significant others don't know yet. As with most Facebook trends, I hate this one too. As this gentleman points out, who the hell cares that you've been pooped on by a monkey? Then someone else who is smart and enjoys making fun of Facebook BS wrote, "Wm. Shakespeare's 25 Random Things Abovt Me".

Since I have no intention of filling out a "25 Random Things" sheet myself, I figured a good way to cash in on the trend would be to do a mini movie-version here on my blog. Here we go with "10 Momentous Movies/Movie Moments".

1. Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I was 8 when this came out and it was an awe-inspiring, unique motion picture that pretty much consumed my interests for a long time. I was obsessed with the voice and mannerisms of Roger Rabbit and really intrigued by the process of making the movie. I started getting interested in special effects after seeing this movie. (The fact that it is based on a book doesn't bother me that much.)

2. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. I had never seen this movie until film school. Our teacher showed us the opening shot projected onto the wall. I gasped and felt like I'd witnessed proof of amazing genius after seeing just the first minute of this movie. No TV will ever be able to capture the feeling of this movie's scope.

3. Pulp Fiction. My dad and I went to see this movie together in the theater. I was 14. I couldn't believe that he wanted to see it, and afterward he told me he would've taken me out of the theater mid-way if I hadn't already told my teacher I would be writing a report about it. At that time I'd never seen a movie like Pulp Fiction, and I've loved Quentin Tarantino ever since. It was a first-rate educational experience on all fronts.

4. Blazing Saddles. There is no way to describe how I feel inside when Cleavon Little rides into town on his tan horse with his Gucci saddle bags. It's just the beginning of an all-around great movie. (Plus it's the first time farting occurred in a movie!)

5. Grindhouse. A singular movie-going experience. I feel nothing but pity for those who didn't get to see it in the movie theater the way it was meant to be shown. I felt like I'd stepped back in time. I know a lot of other people felt that way too. I might never feel quite like that again.

6. Life is Beautiful. The first foreign movie I really paid attention to. I never knew movies could have so much brilliant color and energy. Roberto Benigni opened my eyes to cinema outside of America.

7. Evil Dead. I still remember watching this movie for the first time in my basement, I had a Dominos pizza, and the camera was gliding over the fog-machined swamp. Evil Dead is better than any of H.G. Lewis' movies by a long shot. Makes me proud to be from Michigan, the home state of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell.

8. Lord of the Rings. These movies are milestones in film making. Everything about how they were put together is one-of-a-kind and amazing. The fact that we have three four-hour long movies comprising an adaptation of Lord of the Rings is a miracle. Watching that movie makes you feel like you're seeing the greatest piece of cinema ever made. I think it's the best adaptation ever made.

9. Se7en. A movie that truly affected me. The opening credits chill me to the bones, and when the credits rolled...backwards...it just helped to solidify my understanding that David Fincher is cutting edge and brilliant.

10. Rebel Without a Cause. I don't care how old you are or who you are: James Dean is iconic and cool and will always be iconic and cool.