Top 11 Movies

One of my passions is film. Ever since I was a small child, I enjoyed the stories they told. Perhaps this grounded my love of story telling, among other factors. Whatever the cause, I have always had favorite films. The list is something that is constantly shifting, but there are many films that remain consistent on the list. As inspired by the Nostalgia Critic , I have decided to format my list of films in the style of his, a series of eleven. This is a general list. For specific genres of films, I have slightly different lists. This is my top eleven films at this moment in time. As my taste in films changes, I may well come back and edit this list or make new ones.

11.The Host directed by Bong Joon-ho, released 2006. A Korean monster movie that incorporates elements of horror, drama, and comedy. My love for horror movies aside, the performances in this film are incredible and the way the director shows the monster and its impact are among my favorites. Other factors that give it a place of honor on my list are the political commentary (critical of both the United States and South Korea), and the scenes focused on the main family. It shows what a normal family can do when forced into extra-ordinary circumstances.

10.Alien directed by Ridley Scott, released 1979. As stated on a special on Bravo this is a haunted house movie in space. You can't escape what is hunting you, no matter how much you might want to. Despite being set in the far future, the environment is incredibly realistic, and the slight sense of claustrophobia that the film brings about, is all to real. Furthermore, the reaction to the chest-buster in the film is nothing short of priceless.

9.El Laberinto del Fauno directed by Guillermo del Toro, released 2006. Something of a dark fairy tale for adults. The fantastic elements are well incorporated with the historical backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. The creatures as performed by Doug Jones are... lacking a better descriptive term, were magical. At the end of the film, we are not sure exactly what is real or what was imagined. Perhaps the combination of reality and fantasy is what made the film as poignant and as touching as it was.

8.Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock, released 1960. A classic suspense thriller. The twist at the end of the film is also justifiably famous. Also, the score is rather justifiably famous. There isn't much to say about Psycho personally that most likely hasn't been said already by persons much more eloquent then myself. All I can say is that one doesn't get a much better first exposure to Hitchcock than this film. While all of his films are brilliant, this film will always for me, be among his best.

7. Mar Adentro directed by Alejandro Amenábar, released 2004. This film beautifully deals with some of the most complex issues of our days. End of life and euthanasia are never easy subjects to confront, and this film shows both sides of the 'debate' surrounding ending of life decisions. The characters are brilliantly acted, and some scenes do make me cry, and I willingly and freely admit that by the end of the film I was choked up. Not much more that I can say about this film rather than if you have a chance to see it, do as soon as possible.

6Princess Mononoke directed by Hayao Miyazaki, released 1997. Honestly, this film is tied with another of Miyazaki's pieces, Spirited Away. While the quality of animation in Spirited Away might be higher, the story is what drives Princess Mononoke onto the list. The conflict between humanity and nature is represented beautifully. Also, the mythology in Princess Mononoke is incredibly rich, and with a life time love of mythology, perhaps I was bound to be more attracted to it. Also, while both films have complex characters, I find that the interactions in Princess Mononoke are more fulfilling.

5.Misery directed by Rob Reiner, released 1990. An adaptation of a Steven King novel of the same name, what makes this such a strong film for me are the performances. Kathy Bates and James Caan play brilliantly off of each other, and the confined space that James Caan very much becomes a character in the movie itself. Another strong point in the film's favor is that compared other of King's work, the villain is completely human. Something about that makes the film more real, and thus the character more terrifying. I can only shudder at the thought of meeting a person like Annie Wilkes in the real world, and the truly frightening thought is that there are people like her out there in the world.

4.Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf directed by Mike Nichols, released 1966. A completely character driven piece. It is one of the closest adaptations of any stage production. The interactions between Burton and Taylor in this film are completely enthralling. The ending of the film is one of the most powerful moments captured on film. Drawn into the world of the four characters, when the final moment arrives the viewer comes to the same powerful psychological moments as the characters.

3.To Live directed by Zhang Yimou, released 1994. The drama of China in transition from Post World War II through the aftermath of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. We feel deeply for the family, rejoice with them and mourn with them. We see just what one family does to survive in extra-ordinary circumstances, and we see that there are no things such as heroes in villains, rather there are only people who are forced into places through the choices that they make. As a watcher of film, I could not be be connected to all of the triumphs and failings of this fictional family, and know that while this is a fictionalized account, it reflects many things that could have or might have happened to countless individuals.

2.Rashomon directed by Akira Kurosawa, released 1950. A classic for a reason. The examination of a single event from multiple perspectives has been done both before and since, but the way that Kurosawa tackles it is simply brilliant. We learn much about the characters by the way that they present their story, and we are left questioning what is really "true" at the end of the film. The way that Kurosawa frames the ending of such a film, while hopeful, is also ambiguous. Also, for the time it was made, some of the shots were nothing short of masterful. This film perfectly demonstrates why Kurosawa was dubbed Kurosawa-sensei.

1.The Seventh Seal directed by Ingmar Bergman, released 1957. The first time I was exposed to this film, I was too young to understand it. When I came back to the film later on, I was shocked and awed by it. It deals in with fear, Doubt, life, and of course Death. The scenes with Death playing chess are MUCH parodied, but never truly equaled. Although not historically accurate, the story is moving, the shots are brilliant, and the characters are complex/well acted.

Tisha B'av

From Monday sundown until last night's nightfall was one of the major fast days in Judaism. This was my second time observing the Tisha B'av, and unlike last year (at Middlebury) I was on my own in the observation of the fast. Granted, when I was at Middlebury, there were not many who chose to attend services (such as they were) at Middlebury last year. There are any number of possible reasons why there were so few attendants, I am not going to analyze all of them. What I will say though is even with few attendants, the knowledge that there were others who would be observing the fast was a form of a comfort. Rationally, I know I couldn't have been the only person in Boston fasting yesterday, but it certainly felt like it. As with previous fasts, I found the last few hours (the last hour in particular) the hardest.

Since my first observation of Tisha B'av roughly one year ago, I have not re-read Eikha, The Book of Lamentations. Yesterday, as I was rediscovering the text, I was struck by the almost poetic quality in the words. At times, it almost reminded me of a dirge. There were verses from Eikha that even now I am reflecting on. Two of these are "'For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water; because the comforter is far from me, even he that should refresh my soul; my children are desolate, because the enemy hath prevailed'" (Lam 1:16) and "Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water, for the breach of the daughter of my people" (Lam: 3:48) (source for copy of Lamentations used may be found here ). In a book filled with strong imagery, these two passages just resonate with me. For the life of me, I cannot say why.

Since breaking my fast last night, I have done a little reading into modern opinions of Tisha B'av. I have found that there are some who argue for a discontinuation of the observance of such a holiday. While I see some of the logic in what these individuals argue, I personally will continue to keep the fast. What began as a mourning of the destruction of the Second Temple has become for many a mourning of the other calamities suffered by the Jewish people. It is in the context of the mourning of maladies that I choose to keep Tisha B'av. Although Israel has been restored, it is not at peace. Perhaps as my study continues I will arrive at a different conclusion about Tisha B'av. All I can say for the moment though is that keeping the fast this year, despite the difficulty associated with it, felt right.

Lecture Number 2

With lecture number 3 almost upon us (and that being the one I will be unable to attend because of Tisha B'av) I find myself scrambling to write a summary of the second lecture in the series. Part of the reason has been related towards my tendencies towards procrastination. Another part of the reason is I am trying to figure out how to best summarize the second lecture. The difficulty with this particular summarization is that I did not pay as much attention to the second lecture as I did the first. I know that is a horrible thing to have done, but I do willingly and freely admit that my focus is no where near perfect.

Part of the reason that I tuned out during the second lecture was the language used during it. As I have mentioned earlier, I have a strange fascination with language. In this particular case, the word choice of the speaker was what tuned me out. The speaker kept on using words like 'Destiny' and 'Path.' Such words remind me of the content of the sermons I listened to when I was a child. A side effect of me being reminded of my childhood sermons was to react in the same manner I did as a child, that is to say, I tuned him out.

While the personal stories of the speaker were interesting, the content of the lecture was much less informative than the first. Another thing that prevented me from being able to connect to this speaker as much as I connected with the first was due to the constant re-enforcement of the idea of taking a leap of faith. I understand and admire the concept of taking a leap of faith. That said, I think that this speaker was incredibly lucky. For many, leaps of faith often times are not rewarded. If the speaker had acknowledged that taking a leap of faith can be not rewarded, I might have reacted to his presentation better. As it was, the speech left me luke warm at best.

Birthdays

Well my birthday has come around. I am now one year older, but am I any wiser? That's up for debate. I have spent many birthdays away from close family and friends, so spending this last birthday in the company of some truly wonderful people was something that I sorely needed. Not to say that birthdays in the past with some friends were not good, but having two days where I was able to completely relax and not have to worry about anything was an experience that I have not had for a while. My last three birthdays have either been out of the country or in intensive language programs, so spending a day where English was the dominant language and I was surrounded by familiar faces was more than restful enough.

So what did I do that made my birthday so restful? Nothing really, and there was nothing wrong with that. I just spent time with a good friend of mine and was introduced to friends of hers that I got along with wonderfully. I also met someone who is a day younger than myself and was born in the same hospital that I was (how's that for a coincidence?) We went to movies, watched a few television programs, undertook new craft projects, hung out, and generally just had a good time. Compared the past three birthdays where I was either taking a test, studying to take a test, or scrambling down a steep hillside to go learn metal smithing, I think the order of the day was rest.

Although my birthday weekend is over, I have one last gift to myself that I am going to give. This coming weekend I am going down to Washington D.C. to visit a good friend of mine from China. There will be much nostalgia, good food, and dancing. It has been over four years since I was last in Washington D.C. and the two nights I have there will not be nearly enough time to do everything that D.C. has to offer. That all said, I am very grateful for the two nights that I will have and I know that I will enjoy the company of the awesome people.

A Rest

Well, one of my long standing plans for the summer is not going to come to fruition. According to the Blogathon website, the 2010 Blogathon will not be occurring this year. I have mixed emotions about this. On the one hand I am a little disappointed. I was looking forward to the attempt to stay up for 24 hours. I was also looking forward to raising awareness for a cause about which I am genuinely interested. Furthermore, I was hoping to meet some amazing people who my friends that have participated in the Blogathon have told me about.

On the other hand, I am just a little relieved. I won't have to beg around to find sponsors. Another positive is that I will actually be able to rest, compose myself. A third plus is also looking forward to not staying up for 24 hours. I was also worried that I wouldn't mesh/connect with the amazing people about whom I have been told so much. If you are going to be pulling a 24 hour shift, you want to know the people that you do it with. Granted the pulling of a 24 hour shift can be a bonding experience, but it's not exactly the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to group bonding.

Well, I have talked long enough about the Blogathon. On the note of rest, I would like to announce that the rest I have taken from regular updating of this blog has been well enjoyed. I have come to reconnect to parts of Boston, and also to discover new parts of the city in which I spent my youth. Boston has been, so far at least, a positive experience. I enjoy the company I intern with and the people there are genuinely friendly. I hope that I can keep contact with them in the future, although I am among the worst email correspondents among my circle of friends.

That all said, I hope that everyone out there is having a good day, and is enjoying their summer (even if there are incredible heat waves sweeping almost everywhere it seems).

Free Concert

One of the many advantages of interning at a Radio Station is you get to hear about all sorts of upcoming shows, and on occasion you get to hear bands you have not been previously exposed to. Yesterday was such a day for me. Of what I heard of the band I liked, and when I heard free show at Government Center that night, I knew how I was going to spend my night. When I came back from the concert, my ears were ringing and my voice was slightly shot. All in all, I would call it a very good show. Not only did I hear the band that came to the radio station, I also caught the ending half of another band's set.

Unlike some of my friends, music is not my life. It is only recently that the number of concerts I have been to has begun to increase. This may be because I am now getting more into music. It might also be because most of the clubs that have shows I wanted to go to in San Diego were 21 and up and for most of my 21st year, I was not in San Diego. I still remember when I was 17 and I heard of an artist that I was a fan of coming to San Diego. When I found out the venue was 21 and up, I was just slightly disappointed.

Power Networking

Last Tuesday, June 22nd, my fellow program participants and I listened to a lecture from a famous 'power networker'. It was part speech, part interactive. The interactive activity was the famous ball of yarn (in our specific case it was a ball of ribbon) exercise. For those of you unfamiliar with the exercise, this is when one person begins by stating personal facts, and then another person stands when they share a personal fact with the person speaking. The person speaking then throws a ball of yarn/ribbon/string to the person who has stood. Then that person (the one who stood up) begins to state personal facts about themselves until someone else stands up. The process repeats until all in the room are standing and are holding a piece of yarn/string/ribbon. Some of the things this speaker said were things I had heard before in high school during the college admissions process. Other parts of the talk were familiar, but phrased in new ways. There were other things which she (the speaker) said that I was unfamiliar with. For example, according to her a first impression is made in seven seconds or less and it takes over two hours to undo a negative first impression. From my personal experiences, that is something I am willing to believe.

One of the things this speaker said that I am having an issue with is that one's network is equal to one's net-worth. While the people that one surrounds oneself with can be influential, a part of that bucks against my 'one can pull oneself up by one's own boot strings' mentality. I know that the myth of the self made or truly self sufficient person is just that, a myth. However, it is one of those myths that I have held onto. Why am I so attached to this myth in particular? I'm not sure I can say. I think its just one of the things that I heard so much as a child. While I know that the myth is often times exaggerated and has little to no 'real' place in the history books, that sense of the self made or self-sufficient individual is at heart one of the core American myths. Acknowledging that a myth is a myth is the first part of separating oneself from it, but the myth that one can be truly self sufficient is (for me at least) still an interesting concept.

Something the speaker said that I do agree with is that one should be cautious with one puts out on the internet. Even with the best firewalls and protections, it is becoming easier and easier to find people. Fortunately, when I google myself I am still very much a non-entity. While that is one measure of privacy, I know that the sort of search I do for myself is nothing compared to what potential employers might look for. What we put out on the internet can and often does have a way of finding its way back to us. Part of why I have been as slow updating this blog as I have been is that I often debate for long times after I finish writing potential posts before I decide whether or not to press the 'publish post' icon. Most of the time, I decide not to and scrap a post. I know I have said somethings here and elsewhere on the internet that may well find there way back to me some day. However, all the things I have said (at least on this blog) are things I am willing to stand behind. That all said, maybe I'll ask one of my friends who is more technology literate than I am to help find a way to make me less visible in the future.