I am a big movie fan and though I don’t get out to see them like I used to, I spend my fair share of time on Netflix. So in honor of Valentine’s Day I’m sharing my favorite romantic moments from the big screen. This is your gift from me. You’re so very welcome.

1. The Austrian Lindler Folk Dance from The Sound of Music. This is the moment Maria and Captain Von Trapp realize this is more than your typical governess/naval-captain-whistle-blowing-Nazi-rejector relationship.

2. Carl and Ellie’s love story from Up. There’s very little dialogue in this scene. There doesn’t need to be.

3. A kiss in the rain from The Notebook. All that time apart. All that love. The reconnection. Ryan Gosling.

4. The boombox scene in Say Anything. Show me a girl in 1989 who didn’t want a guy standing outside her window blaring Peter Gabriel and I’ll show you a girl who never saw this movie.

5. I can’t find video of this scene from A Beautiful Mind, but this whole movie wins because a love story that endures mental illness is about as romantic as you can get.

Nash: “You once said that God must be a painter because he gave us so many colors.”
Alicia: “I didn’t think you were listening…”
Nash: “I was listening.”

A man that listens? Swoon.

6. The last few minutes of Good Will Hunting is a happy ending like no other and oh-so-dreamy. It also doesn’t show either member of the couple on whom the romantic story-line is based. This is me, throwing you a romantic curve-ball.

7. I know these are kids, but they grow up and get married. They love each other their WHOLE LIVES, you guys! This scene from Braveheart steals my heart.

8. A love you have to let go. Ouch, Castaway. Just ouch. Also, more rain. I have a thing for water.

9. I’m not a huge Tim Burton fan, but the epic beauty and storytelling in Big Fish is delightful. It’s one of my favorite films and this sweeping romantic gesture and field of daffodils makes me weepy.

10. This scene from Far and Away is the reason I was crushed when Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman got divorced.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! I hope you find the time to curl up and watch a love story.

Follow

Email

I volunteered to watch a scary movie with my husband the other night. I hate scary movies. I haven’t cared for them since seeing Amityville Horror at the tender age of EIGHT (thanks, Aunt Connie). I can’t even watch 48 hours when I’m in the house alone.

But, my husband said if I’d watch Jeepers Creepers with him we would turn the lights out and there would be snuggling and air-popped popcorn, so I had that going for me. If there had been Raisinets, I would have submitted to a double-feature. He likes me because I’m easy.

So we settled in and went in search of Jeepers Creepers, which we couldn’t find even though both of us had seen it listed on HBO, or Netflix, or somewhere. This left us with surprisingly few options given we were just days away from Halloween. Get your act together, cable. What good are you if you can’t make a women pee her pants with fear?

After scrolling through the selections, we stumbled across Children of the Corn. I had never seen it, so it seemed a good choice. You can’t go wrong with Stephen King, right? Wrong.

The acting! The music! The special effects! The 80s!

I could make a better movie with my iPhone and my dogs playing the lead roles. I mean, honestly, it didn’t even turn me off of running between rows of corn, which I’m pretty sure will never happen, but if it were to happen I should be terrified, which I wouldn’t be. So, if you see me running between rows of corn, you’ll know why I’m not scared.

Now I feel like I need to watch more horror movies, because maybe they aren’t scary at all and I’ve been missing the chance to have a good laugh. Next up: Leprechaun in the Hood.

Follow

Email

When I was a teenager my life was, quite frankly, a mess. I won’t go into details, because that isn’t what matters now. What I will say is that I was existing, but not living or experiencing much beauty. I felt unloved, I was in an abusive relationship, and had a lot on my plate. Depression is a terrible, debilitating beast and I found myself deep in its clutches.

I managed to climb out with the help of three things; a great teacher, extended family and, you may not believe this, but it’s true, Dead Poet’s Society.

The words of my English teacher, “…you write well” were still fresh in my mind when I saw that movie and I witnessed characters on the screen who were so much like me. They were young, struggling and in pain, but great writing and a teacher sparked something in them that they didn’t know existed.

My first English essay in college began with a quote from Dead Poet’s Society. I still remember handing in the paper, fresh from the dot-matrix printer, and feeling confident about my written words. I don’t know if I would have been able to write anything were it not for that film and the inspiration it gave me.

There is a scene in that movie where a character, Neil, commits suicide and I remember the sheer pain expressed by the actors who played his parents as they run into the room and find him lying dead. I remember thinking how much someone would have to be suffering to knowingly cause their loved ones that kind of devastation.

I am feeling such twisted emotions over the loss of Robin Williams. I am heartbroken that he was tortured by depression, I am saddened that we will no longer be entertained by his genius, and I am so grateful that he made a movie that touched me in such a tremendous way. Rest peacefully, my Captain.

**

Follow

Email

Last week my son got upset by something he had seen on television. He was sitting with both of us, completely supervised, but it was a movie scene which was a little too violent for his special needs brain to wrap itself around. Thanks a lot, Gollum.

My husband kept playing the stereotypical man card saying things like, “You’re fine! Go to bed.” I, on the other hand, hugged my boy, wiped his tears, and explained why we thought he’d be able to handle watching it (even though *cough* I knew he wouldn’t) and then we discussed, at length, the difference between traditional animation and computer animation.

At the end of the night, he put his 50 lb. body on my lap and said, “Dad says I got upset because I have too much of you in me, but I’m glad I do because you care.” I told him that he has plenty of his father in him and that Dad does care, but doesn’t know how to show it. Then I called a therapist for my husband. Not really, but I thought about it.

A couple of days later, my son and I were driving when we saw a stray dog. I stopped my car to help, but someone came out of a nearby apartment and took over the rescue operation. As we drove away, my son piped up from the back seat, “I’m kind of glad we didn’t have to help that dog.”

“Why, buddy?”

He replied, “Well, I can say this because it’s just you and me, right? I thought it was kind of ugly because it was one of those dogs whose tail stands up in the air and you can see its butthole.”

I laughed, “You sound like your dad!”

Excitedly, he said, “I do? I guess I do have him in me after all!”

Follow

Email