Favorite Movies
2003-11-20, 12:56 p.m.

While I�m on a �Favorites� kick, let�s add a Favorite Movies page.

Nimiiwin�s Favorite Movies

(Again in no particular order, just how they occur to me.)

1. When Harry Met Sally. I love the orgasm scene, of course, and I�m a sucker for both romantic comedies and Meg Ryan.

2. Big Eden � This is exactly how I wish life really were if I lived in a small town somewhere. If it were, I�d be a small town high school social studies teacher in Alaska or something. Alas, it�s not. This is a MUST SEE for every gay/lesbian person and those who love us.

3. The Truth About Cats and Dogs. It has Jeanene Garafolo for one thing. Even if I can�t spell her name, I love her. And it has the cutest dog ever. Oh, and Uma Thurman if you�re into that blond Xray thing. Which I�m totally not.

4. An American President. Annette Benning is adorable in this movie but she�s also a very strong, authentic, moral woman who stands up for what she believes in. Ultimately, Michael Douglas (I think it�s he who plays the Prez) comes to his sense, too.

5. Waiting to Exhale. Not as good as the book, but landmark in that it was the first movie ever I think to portray so many positive black female characters. And, dang, I would have burned my husband�s stuff, too.

6. Balto 2: Wolf Quest. Even though this is a cartoon, it touched me deeply. Balto�s daughter, Aleu, mirrored my own life in being different in being bi-racial and my trying to figure it out. The Native American music and images were astounding. I loved her spirit guide.

7. Grease. I saw this 25 times, literally, when it was in the theater when I was in the 6th grade. I love musicals. And makeovers. What more could I ask for? J

8. Amistad. I�m fairly well versed in African-American history since I grew up in a primarily black neighborhood and we, progressively enough for the 70�s, we learned a lot of �black history.� However, I�d never even heard of this. I was blown away not only by the horror of the story but by the magnificent scene in the courtroom when Djimon Hounsou made his case for freedom: �Give us free.� It was a powerful scene and I thought about it for months.

9. A Chorus Line. I saw this so many times I lost count when it was on HBO when I was in college. Another musical. The music was fun. The choreography was gorgeous. I wanted to run off to New York to be a dancer but instead I stayed in Michigan and went to college and dinked around. Now, I�m too old to be a Broadway dancer. And too out of shape. When this came out, I was still young enough (20) that I could have gone � I used to fantasize about it whenever I was sick of studying.

10. Working Girl. Melanie Griffith vacuuming nearly naked. Aside from that prurient reason, it was so quintessentially 80�s: the hair, the clothes, the Wall Street stuff. I�m such a child of the 80�s. And I like when �good� triumphs over �evil.�

11. Chicago. The musical of all musicals. The dancing, the music, Catherine Zeta-Jones. Crisp, clear choreography unlike what you'd expect from jazz, which would be languid and slow. The music is perfect. Catherine is perfect in her role. Roxie's husband's number, Mr. Cellophane, and the group number where the women all tell why they're there are the 2 best scenes in the movie.

12. Pretty in Pink. Molly Ringwald. The 80�s Teen Icon. Who can�t relate to an outcast story? I admired her � well, to use an old-fashioned term, her pluck. And that dress was gorgeous.

13. Love Jones. Except for that ridiculous running around in the rain scene. I love a good love story and the music is exceptional.

14. Romy and Michelle�s High School Reunion. The guilty pleasure. First of all, I so dig Mira Sorvino. Once again, an 80�s movie. I love an underdog. And it�s so absurd that it�s funny.

15. House Party 3. Okay, one scene in HP3: where the families of the engaged get together for dinner. Bernie Mac is hilarious. �Oh, oh, my mama dead, now I got ta cut ya, cut ya, dat�s da rule.� :snort:

16. Our America. I came across it by accident. It�s a Showtime original about Lee Allan Jones and Lloyd Newman and the radio show they did from the Ida B. Wells projects in Chicago for NPR�s All Things Considered. It�s stark, much of it filmed in black and white. Based on a true story. I stayed awake thinking about it that night and how ridiculous it is that we treat juvenile offenders as adults. That a child could � is- held in a juvenile facility and/or prison until they are 21. It�s a proven fact that children have no way to fully comprehend death. How can we hold them responsible in an adult manner? We have an age of majority for a �reason-. The movie is stunning. I�d see it if I were you.