Day 29 - A movie from your childhood



"MOTHER. That book you're reading is upside down."

Day 27 - A movie that you wish you had seen in theaters



But then again, I would have been a bucket of mush either way.

Day 26 - A movie that you love but everyone else hates

Again, I don't like terrible movies, for the most part, so this isn't really the answer they were going for.



A lot of people hate on this because it's not Tim Burton enough. That's exactly why I like it. Plus the ending always makes me cry. And who can say no to Ewan McGregor's charmingly off Southern accent? Or Marion Cotillard as a pregnant French lady?

Day 24 - That one awesome movie idea that still hasn’t been done yet

One?!? Please.

Idea #1, an adaptation:

I admit that an film version of the Lymond Chronicles would probably be better suited to a series on Masterpiece Theater, but you can't ask that question and not get this as my first response. This is the adaptation I most want to write myself, but it would be a task that would take a lifetime. Thus, probably, the fact that it hasn't happened yet.

So then idea #2:

Lewis. And. Clark.
Think about it: Intrigue! Thomas Jefferson! The very first road trip! Sacajawea! Clark's red hair! Lewis's angst! It's perfect. Why has no one done this yet?

Day 22 - Favorite documentary



I actually like a surprising number of documentaries, but contemplating this one just fills me with joy.

Day 21 - Favorite action movie



It's one huge metaphor. Also Ian McKellan rocks my socks.

Day 20 - Favorite movie from your favorite actor/actress

I'm going one for both actor and actress, since it's been demonstrated pretty conclusively that I have trouble sticking to just one movie.

Tom Hollander (no one can eat jam like him):



Hayley Atwell (one of my most successful female characters I've ever trotted out for creative writing class is partly based on her speaking rhythms in this):

Day 19 - Favorite movie based on a book/comic/etc.

Oh good grief. A lot of my favorite movies are based on books, but I'm going with this one because I like it better than the book, and because I love it and haven't used it yet.



BUT! I would be remiss if I didn't point out that there's a tantalizing "etc." on the end of the prompt for today. Therefore, I am going to gratuitously list three movies based on plays that I really like.



I liked it on stage better, but my crush on Scripps is only amplified by up-close shots of Jamie Parker's reaction shots, so the movie's all right in my book.



Guh. I've only ever seen amateur and regional productions of this one, so the miniseries far and away eclipses the live performances I've seen.



The movie is awfully faithful to the script, and I've although I've never seen it on stage, I don't care. How could it be better than this?

Day 18 - A movie that you wish more people would’ve seen



Let's take stock, shall we?
1) Colin Firth
2) Julianne Moore
3) Matthew Goode
4) CAMEOS! Ginnifer Goodwin, that guy from The Fall, Dana from The L Word...I'm probably forgetting someone.
5) Cinematography. (clothes porn)
6) The renaissance of the About a Boy boy.
7) Angst

Wide release probably didn't happen for a variety of reasons. I do think, though, that there was less homophobia at work than people thought. This is a really, really artsy film, with a pacing that wouldn't appeal to a lot of people.

Day 15 - A character who you can relate to the most

I relate to a lot of characters at any given time. It's kind of my thing. For a while in high school, I really thought I was Cyrano de Bergerac:



Then I decided that Fiona from Four Weddings and a Funeral was a better stand-in, for any number of reasons (but not the smoking and the skeletal frame):



And then there's this girl:



Reading Atonement freaked me out, because I was around Briony's age and I was a writer too, but I would never do the horrible things she did (not least of which, in my mind at the time, was to show her work in progress to her unreliable relatives--how stupid was she?)

So I guess it depends on how I feel at any given time. At the moment, though, I'm leaning towards Fiona. She's definitely the happiest. Plus she's a) not dead and b) awesome.

Day 14 - A movie that no one would expect you to love



I don't know that I love it per se, but everyone who knows me knows that I don't do well with scary movies. This was kind of the upper limit for me, but I really liked it anyway. Noir can get me through a lot.

Day 13 - A movie that is a guilty pleasure

Anything I've ever watched with Subcontinent?
Kidding.



I don't really feel particularly guilty about this, but it doesn't quite stack up against the other movies I like either. So there you go.

Day 11 - A movie that changed your opinion about something

Tough one. If this were open to TV shows, though, this would be easy--The West Wing was solely responsible for getting me interested in politics.



This is another cop-out, in that this film didn't really change my opinion about something, but I did come to a sudden realization coming out of the movie theater.
I loved this movie--still do--but when I first watched I found it almost unbearably dark. My grandparents were in town for Thanksgiving and my entire family went to The Art to go see Capote. During the movie I just kept sinking lower and lower into my seat. "This is so bleak," I thought, "so heavy. I can't believe we brought my grandparents to it." After the credits rolled, we all came out of the theater and my grandfather said, "Well, that was quite good. So. What's for dinner?"
I realized that people can watch the same movie and have completely different viewing experiences. Perhaps at the time it didn't help that I had just written something that drew its inspiration from other peoples' pain. Maybe I identified too much with Capote's dilemna. Maybe not enough.

Also, I love Catherine Keener as Harper Lee, so I had to include this one way or another. :)

Day 10 - Favorite classic movie



I totally think this is it. Of course, there are other "classic" movies I'm using on other days, but this feels right. Also, I'm eager to get home, and there's this:

Day 09 - A movie with the best soundtrack

Another hard one. Do I pick Angels in America? Little Women? Another movie with Thomas Newman music? He is my favorite screen composer, after all.



Once I thought about it, though, there's really no competition. In addition to being full of cello music (and Paul Bettany, playing the cello), this is the movie that introduced me to Ralph Vaughn Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis a.k.a. the saddest tune ever written (second place: Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings).

Day 08 - A movie that you’ve seen countless times



OH MY GOODNESS. Even thinking about this movie brings joy to my heart. It is so, so good, especially once you've seen it enough times to stop watching for plot and start watching for all the things that happen on the periphery. Seriously. Watch the characters standing in the corner of the screen, not talking, or watch reactions, or, hell, just watch everything Kristen Scott Thomas and Simon Callow do, and you're in for a treat. Plus the day that I realized John Hannah was the movie's moral compass was a good day.

Day 07 - The most surprising plot twist or ending

Not The Crying Game. I saw that one coming from a mile away.



This is a bit of a cop-out, since I was eight or so when I first saw this, but I was surprised when she got on that plane.

Day 05 - Favorite love story in a movie



So what if one of them has a toothpick waist and Bambi eyes and the other is more hirsute than your average leading man? It's a tale as old as time!

Day 04 - A movie that makes you sad



At first I was going to choose Avalon, because that was the first movie that ever made me cry, but this movie made me miserable. For days. And I loved every minute of it.

Day 03 - A movie that makes you really happy



Michael Redgrave directing folk dance. Need I say more?