Daily Archives: April 2, 2013

My Top 75 Movies Everyone Should See Before Dying :) 59-45

59. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946): I’m kind of ashamed that this is so low, but I guess it just isn’t one of my favorites. But, all of that aside, I love the message of the movie. And for some reason I like how it is set-up. If you haven’t seen this movie, you need to! It incorporates many elements such as humor, sadness, and happiness. Such a nice thing! Haha. But really, go watch it.

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58. Full Metal Jacket (1987): When I first saw this movie I was a little blown away. I’ve always heard stories of Vietnam, but never saw everything in action. And when I saw this movie it was a mildly, rude awakening. I mean, things were probably exaggerated, but still, this is an intense movie. I think it did a great job showing the effects of war on soldiers in particular. It is definitely worth your time.

 

57. Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005): I remember in 6th grade reading this book and going to see the movie in theatres. Surprisingly I liked the movie more than the book. The animation of Aslan and all of the others were done extremely well. Also, the music is awesome. The battle scene is my favorite and is one of the best parts of the movie.

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56. Apocalypse Now (1979): This is another one of those war movies. And I’m not going to lie, the only reason I like this movie is because of the opening sequence. It begins with The Doors song, The End, which just happens to be one of my favorite songs. Yeah, there is also a good story to go along with it, but the opening scene just totally draws me in. Again, it shows some backstory, that is falsified, but still the conditions are similar to what the soldiers were being faced with. It’s kind of chilling, if you ask me.

 

55. West Side Story (1961): This is one love story that I kind of approve of, minus the depressing ending. The dancing in the beginning is fascinating. The guys there are better than I am at dancing. And the music, it’s so catchy. I often find myself walking around my house snapping and singing the prologue song. But, there is also a sad part of this movie that exemplifies that it isn’t simply a musical, but also makes a societal statement of the time, addressing the racial tensions that were present during this era.

see. I can't do that. haha

see. I can’t do that. haha

 

54. The Hangover (2009): It is sad how often I quoted this movie after it came out. I went so far as to memorize all of the lyrics to Stu’s Song. Not only is the movie full of hilarious things, but the cast did a great job at making them even funnier. Personally, Alan is my favorite; he’s a bit weird, but definitely the best. If you’re looking for a good laugh and have an interesting sense of humor then this is definitely a movie to watch. Also, you should watch it before you head to Las Vegas just to make sure you avoid anything like what happens in the movie. But, don’t watch the second one; it is nowhere near as good as the original.

 

53. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003): Pirates is another case of a movie that I love for its music. There is also an interesting story, with an intertwined love story and some comedy. And who doesn’t love Johnny Depp? If you haven’t listened to the soundtrack, you definitely need to do that. When my dad had a boat a couple of years ago, he would play the main theme song when we were going fast on the lake. Haha, so I guess you could say that the music makes you feel like you are experiencing the movie first hand.

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52. Men in Black (1997): My reason for this movie is Will Smith. He makes this movie. I mean, yes Tommy Lee Jones adds the dry humor, but Will Smith helps that and adds even more comedy. I love Will Smith, and I think this movie is one of the reasons why. He is so sarcastic and I love it. I could always live without the spewing alien guts, but I’ll come back to the movie for a good laugh.

 

51. The Avengers (2012): Holy cow, this movie. It is just like a huge collaboration of some awesome superheroes. I also find it interesting how Captain America adjusts to the difference of the era. It’s just funny. This movie satisfies the need for a comedy and an action film all in one. It’s definitely worth your time.

 

50. Caddyshack (1980): I probably saw this movie at an age when I shouldn’t have seen it, but nonetheless it is still great. It is another movie that I quote a lot when my brother or dad is around. Also, it’s one of the few movies that the three of us can agree on. Caddyshack is chalk full of great comedy. There is a scene with a car horn and I’ve always wanted that sound for my cars horn. But anyways, a lot of people haven’t heard of it. And if you haven’t it is a film that circles around a golf course and the various people who are playing on it. You need to watch it. No questions. 🙂

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49. Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012): The book was amazing, and I only expected the best from the movie, and it didn’t disappoint. It actually made the book even sadder. I cried when I read the book, but I ended up balling during the movie. I guess seeing everything in “real-life” makes it more personal. Anyways, it’s a great movie and an interesting perspective. I think everyone really needs to consider seeing this movie or even reading the book, or both!

 

48. Scream (1996): Scream is one of my favorite tacky scary movies. Although, it slightly bothers me that Matthew Lillard is one of the bad guys and also happens to play Shaggy in the real life movie. Other than that, it was a movie that scared me when I was younger, but as I got older I started to laugh at it. I think that is because I see how predictive the movie actually is. In all, this is one of the few, and I mean few, horror movies that I actually approve of.

 

47. The Hunger Games (2012): Another case of the book was better than the movie, but the movie was still acceptable. I love Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. I think that the both embody their characters, and are also hilarious people in general. It’s kind of a messed up idea, the plot it, but it is still really intriguing. Go watch! I can’t wait for Catching Fire!

 

46. Star Trek (2009): I was slightly skeptical when I first saw a promo for the movie, but after seeing it I was impressed. The way that the producers and casters matched the new actors to their older counterparts was amazing. Each of the characters embodied the original character to a T. My mom is kind of a hard core Trekkie and she even approved of the movie. Also, I almost forgot, Leonard Nemoy’s role makes this movie. I must admit I was sad that Shatner didn’t come back too, but the producers had to do what they needed to in order to appease the Trekkie population. All in all, this is a great movie with an awesome plot, and fantastic actors!

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45. Jurassic Park (1993): If you haven’t seen this movie, then shame on you. Go to the theatre sometime soon and see this movie in 3D. Seriously. It’s awesome and mildly creepy. The dinosaurs always scared me when I was younger (go figure), but I just watched the movie again a couple of weeks ago and I just thought “wow, that was awesome” and I wish that a real Jurassic Park existed, without the faulty dinosaurs that eat people. Another reason for the awesomeness of this movie is the music. Let’s be serious here, who doesn’t love John Williams? So good. Go see this movie now if you haven’t or if you have maybe you should check it out in 3D and get some dinosaurs jumping in your face!

Come back next week for 44-30!! anigif_enhanced-buzz-30070-1363123282-26

 

Advocacy Project for a Shorter Work Week

As of right now, I’m definitely leaning towards a poster board for my advocacy project. I feel like that isn’t really enough, but I imagine I’ll find something else to go along with. I was considering having a mini pamphlet on how to get a shorter week implemented, but I’m not 100% sure on that idea yet. As for what I’m advocating, I was going to get a threefold poster. One side would include student’s ideas/opinions on shortening the week. And maybe also include ideas of parents/professors. I think this will create some sort of personal attachment to the audience. My second side would probably talk about the pros and cons of shortening the work week. I’ll definitely make the list of pros outweigh the cons, this may help my case. And in the middle I’ll make my call to action. It’s kind of a radical idea, to go and abruptly change the duration of the work week, but I think this will add to the interest factor of my argument. My only problem here is finding support. I’m considering just creating my own solution for it, possibly investing ways to go about implementing such a change, i.e. policy implementations through OSHA and the education systems of various states (possibly starting on a small scale to test it to see if it will work). So as of now, my poster will contain student’s views on a shorter work week, the pros and cons of it, and how to go about implementing such a thing. If anyone has any ideas of an additional supplement to go along with it that would be greatly appreciated. I’m also considering making a quick PowerPoint to go along with my poster, that just gives random facts that might pull a person in, but again I’m not too sure about this idea.