Michelle Miles: 1001 Movies

There’s a really cool book called 1001 Movies. I have it. Because I’m a dork like that. The book is 960 pages of Moviedom, complete with a handy checklist at the front.  (It also helped the cover has Indiana Jones on it – my first true love.)

I spent two hours perusing it. It’s jam-packed with photos, a little synopsis of each movie and opinions by contributions, starting with a silent movie released in 1902: Le Voyage Dans La Lune (a.k.a. A Trip To The Moon). I can personally say I’ve never laid eyes on this movie but there are some iconic pictures that are widely recognizable. The Moon with the missile-like spaceship right in its eye, for example. According to the book, the movie “represents a revolution for the time” and clocks in at only 14 minutes. But at the turn of the century, there weren’t movie theaters like what we have today.

Michelle Miles: It's the Movies, Not Your House

It's become a rare occurrence when the husband and I go to the movies. I take full responsibility for that because I detest the general public.

But we needed some fun this past weekend, so I requested a movie date. We saw Arrival with Amy Adams and Jeremey Renner. Really good flick. I recommend it!

Anyway, we purchased the tickets online and then picked them up at the kiosk at the theater. Things are getting so impersonal these days, you don't even have to talk to anyone to buy tickets. It's kind of sad, actually.

Michelle Miles: Hello, the 80s called. They want their movies back.

At my house, Saturday night is “movie night.” We’ve been doing it consistently for a month or so now. The kid LOVES it. And even when he’s not there, the Man and I have movie night. But with popcorn – Kid has braces and can’t eat it so we try not to have it in front of him cuz that just mean.

Anyway, he recently turned 13. Aside from him joining the land of social media and instant communication, it also means he gets to catch up on all those 80s movies that we loved at his age.

Aside from Ghostbusters (1984) which he’s already seen, we introduced him to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986). He loved it. I’ve never heard the kid laugh as hard as he did at that one. This past weekend, we watched Crocodile Dundee (1986). After we watched it, I got to thinking about thin the plot was. And they kept saying he was a poacher but…we never really saw him poaching anything. Well, except for the one crock that he stabbed in the head to save the girl stood by the water, scantily clad, and dipped in her canteen. It was pretty easy to see she was going to fall for the Aussie after he “boyfriend” was such a jerk to him (and her) at dinner. There really didn’t seem to be a lot of character development, either. I guess I’m jaded. ;)

Michelle Miles: A Bit of Nostaglia

I grew up with two movie-buff parents. In fact, my parents met at the drive-in theater back in the 1950s. My dad ran the projector and my mom worked the concession stand. Doesn’t that sound like something right out of a 1950s black-and-white romance? They were married in 1955. From what I hear, that was a very good year.

So I guess it should come as no surprise to anyone that I’m a huge movie fan. I love movies. From the old to the new, classics to current blockbusters. Musicals, dramas, romantic comedies, chick flicks, kid’s movies, science fiction. You name it.

My childhood consisted of John Wayne’s westerns and war movies (Big Jake, The Fighting Seabees) because that’s what Dad liked. But it also consisted of those classic dramas (Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, Gone With The Wind, Random Harvest) as well as musicals (The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, On The Town, Royal Wedding, oh I could go on!) because that’s what Mom liked.

It all carried over into my adulthood.

1001 Movies to See Before You Die

With the Oscars right around the corner, I thought movies would be a great topic! As I glanced around my cluttered office wondering what to write about my gaze landed on the four-inch book standing at attention on my bookshelf-- 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.

I’d ordered this book a while back. When it showed up on my doorstep, I tore open the box with glee and began a two-hour-long perusal. The book is Ginormous. It’s hard back with a dust jacket and 960 pages of Moviedom complete with a handy checklist at the front. This is the October 2008 edition, by the way.

It’s jam-packed with photos, a little synopsis of each movie and opinions by contributions, starting with a silent movie released in 1902: Le Voyage Dans La Lune (aka A Trip To The Moon). I can personally say I’ve never laid eyes on this movie but there are some iconic pictures that are widely recognizable. The Moon with the missile-like spaceship right in its eye, for example. According to the book, the movie “represents a revolution for the time” and clocks in at only fourteen minutes. But at the turn of the century there weren’t movie theaters with stadium seating and THX sound in every major town.

WHO DOESN'T LOVE A GOOD SCARE? by Kathy Ivan

It's getting close to that time of year where we all love a good scare. It's become something of a ritual to scream on Halloween—the more bloodcurdling the better. Tales of terror have been passed down for millennia about ghouls, ghosts and goblins inhabiting the dark places, waiting and watching for the perfect opportunity to frighten the unsuspecting.

As kids who didn't sit around telling scary stories? Maybe it was around a campfire with other teens, darkness all about except for the flickering of the firelight and the deep, dark shadows surrounding you. Remember the one about the man with a hook? Tell me you didn't scream when it was being told and somebody tapped you on the shoulder. Maybe it was a slumber party, a sleep-over with your friends, sitting around in your PJ's, the lights dimmed and one person held the flashlight under their chin, telling a spooky ghost story.

KISSES, KISSES AND MORE KISSES by Kathy Ivan

Princess Michelle's blog from Tuesday about 80s movies got me thinking about some of my favorite movies from that era as well as more recent ones. We all remember certain scenes, lines and quote from movies because they're memorable. They resonant with us for a reason, whether it's because they make us laugh, make us smile, even make us cry.

So in my own roundabout way of thinking, my mind turned to movies and songs about that special moment between the lead characters, the unique moment that culminates in a physical expression of feeling, a visual and tactile scene bringing to live the romanticism we as writers endeavor to achieve in our audiences. Nothing portrays that better than a kiss.

Everything I Learned About Life... by Michelle Miles

Everything I learned about Life, I learned from Star Wars

by Michelle Miles

This originally posted on Pop Culture Divas a while back, but Kathy’s movie post inspired me! So, here’s one from the vault by moi.

For a while, I’d had a hankering to watch the original 1977 version of Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope. Back when this movie came out, it was revolutionary. It changed science fiction forever and it gave us characters that have endured for more than 30 years. Now my son, who is 10, is a Star Wars fan. He has toys and games galore. It still amazes me that this movie that started as a space adventure has turned into this giant franchise.

But I digress.

There are valuable lessons to be learned from these movies. Allow me to illustrate.

When trapped on a frozen tundra, your tauntaun makes a good shelter. And – hey – it’ll keep you warm by slashing open the belly and crawling in. Handy trick.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE ROMANTIC MOVIES GONE? by Kathy Ivan

I was talking with my sister earlier and the conversation turned to movies. Romantic comedies to be exact. I'm a big lover of romance in all its forms. That's why I write it. I love the subtle nuances of it, the majesty of it. The quiet moments and the shout-it-from-the rooftop moments. There's just something about watching or reading about two people falling in love and getting their happily ever after that just makes me go, "Awww!" But when it came time to list some of my favorite romantic movies, that's when things got a little tricky. I could think of lots and lots of them that I love, but I realized something I thought was significant. Nary a one of them was current. What's happened to Hollywood that they can't seem to make a romance/romantic comedy that really touched me enough that I remember it long after seeing it?

Hollywood in its heyday made some fabulous, witty, and memorable love stories—I can't even use that turn of phrase without thinking about the movie by the same name—Love Story.

WHAT'S MY LINE? by Kathy Ivan

As writers and readers we are emotionally moved by words. Words make us happy. They make us angry. They make us think. We can be moved to tears, to laughter. We can even be moved to throw the book against the wall when it disappoints or angers us. But in every single case, without question, words make us FEEL.

Here are a few books that have memorable lines. I've put the book and author following it, but how many of you could have quoted the title and author even without the prompt?

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness . . ." (A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens)

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." (Rebecca by Daphne De Maurier)