Our Movies

Trae and I are big movie buffs. We appreciate all movies and love many. We enjoy the obscure and unknown and celebrate the ones that do well. I am proud of our movie tastes and like the fact that we really like movies that some may not have even heard of. So here is our Top 20 Movie list and why we love them. So in no particular order...
Top Gun- Trae can quote this movie with such accuracy, you would have thought he wrote the script. I love this movie also for a few reasons: 1) When I first met Trae, he looked just like Tom Cruise, 2) All the flying is so exciting and I really enjoy action and adventure movies, 3) The beach volleyball scene is just fun to watch.
The Godfather series- This is just a classic. It also gives many useful rules to live by. What is there not to love about these films.
Casino Royale (the new one)- With this film introducing Daniel Craig as 007, it is my favorite because I love him as 007. He makes 007 a rule breaker, unlike some of the more recent pretty boy womanizers that have been portrayed. This being the first book in Ian Flemming's series, it explains why 007 is unattached to many of the people, especially women, he meets. It is a great film with good depth in the characters.
Man on Fire- Not only is it filmed with great action sequences, but it has a great redemptive story.
Orange County- Hilarious movie with not much thinking that goes with it. Great one-liners.
Out Cold- Another funny movie with little thought needed to follow it. It revolves around snow boarders trying to save their mountain.
Batman Begins- Another great movie about the beginning of a legend. Christian Bale is my favorite Batman so far.
Taken- Liam Neeson is wonderful as a father fighting to find his daughter.
Transformers- What little boy didn't like Transformers. This movie was a home run in bringing the toys to life and making every guy want the aliens to land in their backyard.
Love Actually- A Christmas tradition in our house. We love British humor and this has nothing but material from the UK. My favorite storyline in this film is one that follows the Prime Minister and a secretary, played by Hugh Grant and Martine McCutcheon.
Tombstone- Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday makes this movie awesome. Kurt Russell is a wonderful Wyatt Earp and Sam Elliot and Bill Paxton do great also. However, Doc delivers great lines.
Super Troopers- Great comedy classic. The plot is pretty good, but the pranks the troopers pull on each other are wonderful.
Pirates of the Caribbean- Who doesn't want to be a pirate? And Johnny Depp, I think he is the epitome of what a pirate should be.
Star Wars- Classics. Period. Even if you don't like science fiction. You have to appreciate all of the special effects, especially in the first 3. You also have to appreciate that Lucas did not use popular music in the soundtrack! (Which was very uncommon during this period).
Indiana Jones series- Harrison Ford as a archaeological adventurer is great.
An Unfinished Life- The relationship between Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman is so unique and real. They give each other a hard time like only old friends can.
Dumb and Dumber- Jeff Daniels' comedic genius on display and Jim Carrey doing what he does best. This is a great movie even if you do not like stupid movies, everyone laughs at this one.
Anchor Man- Will Ferrell at his best also. All of the crazy one-liners are priceless.
Robin Hood- The great story is done right in this movie with Kevin Costner at the helm. Who would have thought he would have been a great outlaw with a bow and arrow!
Sweet Home Alabama- Funny, romantic, southern what else could you want in a great movie.
This is most definitely not a comprehensive list. In fact, on another day, we might come up with 20 different movies for our top 20 list. Some that didn't make the cut but deserve mentioning: The Passion, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Bourne series, King Arthur, Lars and the Real Girl, and so many more. Maybe we will revisit the topic and come up with 21-40.

Movie Date

Trae works every weekend, so that means we have all week to do what we want, go where we want, and see what we want. Well today we got all dressed up to go to the movies. I know it isn't hitting the town too big, we even went to a matinee not an evening movie. Well, we saw the movie "Taken". Let me just say, we absolutely loved it. I won't ruin the plot for anyone who hasn't seen it yet but it is a very good movie. It has a very "Bourne"-esque movie feel but it involves a family. An ex-government agency "preventer" worries about his daughter who is traveling to Paris for a vacation with a friend and no adults. He does not feel good about the trip at all to begin with. He explains to his daughter that he is worried about her not because he is paranoid, but because his job made him aware of all the business, good and bad, around the world. Well of course something happens. She is taken and her dad goes on a mad search for her. He steals, kills, and lies to gain information into her whereabouts and why she has been taken. I will not spoil it. But Liam Neeson is great, he is sweet, determined, and very good at his job in this film. We loved it, but then again we love international, top secret, aggressive movies about issues that are not always on the forefront of our everyday lives because we don't see it or experience it in any way. Go see it, you will like it. I also want to see "He's Just Not That Into You". Maybe tomorrow!

Phew!!!

It has been a crazy past few days, but I am finally back in California with my sweetheart. The flight was fine. It left MS at 6:30 am and I arrived in CA at noon on Thursday. Wish I would have gotten to sleep a little more than that especially since I arrived so early. But oh well. Thursday, after my honey came and picked me up, we went to some friends' house to watch Grey's Anatomy. It is a standing date that we do with several friends, meet at someones house to watch Grey's. It is really a fun time. But this Thursday, they made me the best tri-tip ever, twice baked potatoes, salad, and one of them brought the most wonderful strawberry cheesecake I have ever had in my life. Why you ask did they go to all this trouble? Well my birthday came while I was in MS and so they felt like they needed to celebrate it with me. They are wonderful friends who truly are selfless. Yesterday, Trae and I had to go shopping because he let the groceries get down to practically nothing. He had no milk, no eggs, no bread, but by gosh, he did have BACON! But that really didn't surprise me. So we got the kitchen stocked back up with essentials so that if I wanted to whip something up, I wouldn't be scratching my head wondering where all the food went. Then we watched a movie, very typical of us. We are such movie lovers. We often like obscure movies that some people may find pointless or stupid, not in a dumb way though. I'll give you an example: Lars and the Real Girl. If you have ever seen this movie you will know and understand that it is unexpected, funny, and a great film. Just when you think that the movie is about to take a cheap nasty turn, it doesn't and reaffirms your trust in Hollywood to create a great film that has nothing to do with sex, nakedness, cheating or greed. But Trae and I have often been told that we do have sense of humor that is a little off beat. My mom calls us the "same kind of weird".
After our movie, I made dinner. It is one of our favorites and I did a pretty good job making it last night. Steak and Guinness Pie, a Jamie Oliver special. It has puff pastry, steak, carrots, parsnips, mushrooms, and of course Guinness. It is so good.
Today, he had to go to work, he took the leftover pie with him of course. I am going to town. I am visiting a quilting shop in town that I have never been to before. I am very excited about that. No, I have not forgotten about my quilt that I have already started. It would not fit in my suitcase, so I had to ship it. Hopefully it will be here by early next week and I will continue it and keep you all posted of course. That is all for now.
Coming soon: We have a ski trip planned in a few weeks with Trae's boss/job caretaker. That will be a lot of fun. I am going to San Jose in a few weeks to spend a couple of days with my grandmother, mom, and great aunt, so I am looking forward to that. But for now, I must go and clean house!! It looks like a bachelor pad again!