HDQ

Short and simple: What is your favorite movie?

I have three.

The first and always #1 in my heart: The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern. It has everything in there. Really rockin’ humor, true love, action, magic and an awesome song for the credits! I absolutely fell in love with this movie the first time I saw it. I was in high school and was mesmerized by how much this movie touched me. After all, what girl doesn’t dream of having a love that transcends time, difficult situations, misunderstandings and overcomes all obstacles in its path to be a GREAT love? To be TRUE LOVE. To become a love that endures forever.
This is TRUE LOVE. You think this happens every day?

#2 is The Phantom of the Opera – the one that came out last year. Oh, the cinematography, the music, the beautiful people…the Phantom. Ok, I have to say that a more handsome Phantom has never existed! But the whole movie is a work of art. I know there was controversy about Gerard Butler being cast as the Phantom, but in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s own words, he wanted someone with a roughness to his voice to show the contrast between Christine and the Phantom. With the exception of Minnie Driver, everyone did their own voices. I love this movie b/c it shows so many facets of the human psyche, love, forgiveness, strength, courage, the willingness to sacrifice for the other person, jealousy, anger, possessiveness. Both the good and the bad. I was a little confuzzled about Schumaker’s decision to put nipples on the suit in Batman and Robin (I think that was the one), it actually was kind of appalling - the rubber nipples and codpiece for Batman of all people. However, he redeemed himself with this movie. It just is an enchanting, enthralling movie. My 3 year old loves it and has so many questions to ask about why people acted a certain way, why they did the things they did and she absolutely LOVES the music so much that she hums the music to the songs as they are playing and dances to the songs. The movie is a good teaching opportunity to show her that it is not how a person looks, but how they act and how they treat others that matters.

#3 is a tie. I love the movie US Navy SEALs with Charlie Sheen, Bill Paxton, Dennis Haysbert (President Palmer on 24), Michael Biehn and others. It is all about camaraderie, a true family/brother bond between friends and teammates, triumphing through the face of adversity…I love military movies. I like all things military. I love looking at a man in uniform (or a kilt). I have watched Navy SEAL Hell Week training videos and documentaries for the fun of it. I admire the hell out of our fighting men and women, especially those in the Special Forces. I respect them and support them for the sacrifices they make on everyone’s behalf. They literally carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. Ok, so I said it was a tie. GI Jane is the other movie. Talk about grit and determination. Yes, I know it’s only a movie, but it made for great subject matter. It is a movie that I admire b/c they didn’t make it into a powder-puff movie, which it easily could have been b/c of the subject matter of a woman going through BUDs training to become a SEAL. Instead they didn’t pull any punches when it came to showing the beatings she took and the ridicule and hostility she endured. Great movie.

While I personally believe that the Special Forces should be kept to just men b/c of all the psychological and emotional ramifications to the team if one of their mates was a woman and she got captured, injured or killed, etc., (as it showed in the movie, even though it was a mock capture) if a woman wants to become a Special Forces member – more power to her. I believe that a woman is just as capable of doing things that a man is capable of – most things anyway. Myself, I have an excellent eye for riflery. At 100 yards, black iron sights with no scope on a black target I can group my shots pretty consistently and hold them to about a 6” diameter grouping. Most guys I know who are at the range on a fairly frequent basis can’t do that well without a scope. Me, that grouping was a result of only the 2nd time I’d shot my AR in 2 years. I’d say that’s pretty darn good, I don’t care who you are.