Nothing offends E and I more than people or things that mess with our chi.
Knowing how often we talk about this, and knowing how much I love all the ‘Keep Calm’ posters doing the rounds at the moment, the Sheelster made this for me.
I think I need to frame a copy for above my desk at work.
Isn’t this limited edition of The Secret Garden absolutley exquisite?
Puffin did small print runs of a range of classics which were all snapped up rather quickly. I can see why! I like the Treasure Island one too.
One of my ‘List a day in the month of May’ posts was about my favourite childhood movies. That was an easy list to write, but as an adult, I don’t feel like I have all that many favourites. I think it’s because I simply don’t see enough films. Whenever people ask me what my favourites are I always think of things like Kindergarten Cop and Curly Sue but nothing from the last ten years instantly comes to mind.
One rainy weekend in Melbourne, Donna and I decided to go to the ‘video store’ and get out a bunch of movies to watch. And we didn’t know any of the movies in the new release section! It made us feel very old indeed.
So this list has required much raking of my brain, but these are my favourite movies as an adult:
1) The Shipping News
I haven’t read the book and it’s more than likely that the film doesn’t do the novel any justice. It was actually quite refreshing for me to watch a film when I hadn’t read the book first.
Everytime I watch it, I want to move somewhere really remote and interact only with the local community. My favourite scene is right at the beginning when the beautiful music comes on and the whole town is pulling a rope to move a house across the ice.
And I love Julianne Moore. Have I ever mentioned that? She’s so stunningly beautiful and smart and I love her character in this film.
2) Braveheart
I love Scottish history. I love a tear jerker. I loved this film.
3) Changeling
I thought Angelina was incredibly powerful in this movie (and she also wore a lot of nice hats). The very thought of having your son stolen and a different child returned is incomprehensible. And its a true story which is what makes it all the more alarmingly. The scene where she screams ‘Have you seen my son? HAVE YOU SEEN MY SON’ made me sob out loud.
A horrible story but a brilliant movie.
4) Japanese Story
Goodness, I’m conscious of the misery level so far. All of the films I’ve mentioned are highly emotional. No wonder Alissa bought me a book of eulogies for Christmas once! I like my entertainment served up sad!
Japanese Story is beautiful, intense, moving and really makes you appreciate the beauty of the Australian landscape. Toni Collette was raw and amazingly powerful. After watching her in this, I became an instant fan.
5) Amélie
She’s cute, quirky, fun and generous. I don’t think I know anyone who hasn’t loved this film. It always makes me think about the small wonders that abound us…..and about eating crème brûlée .
6) Chocolat
I want to live in the cute french village that Juliette Binoche moves into. And I want to own her adorable chocolat shop.
Actually when I was reading The Breadmakers Carnival the other week, the town I was imagining was the one from this movie. Even though The Breadmakers Carnival is set in an Italian Village, it just had that same quaint, everyone knows each other kind of vibe.
I love the idea that someone can move to a new place and completely shake up the rigid society that exists there and make it happier for everyone. You also see how meeting the right person helps to ground her soul as well. Beautiful!
7) Goodbye Lenin
See, I do like comedy now and again. I love the story in this film.
A socialist mother in East Germany falls into a coma. While she’s conked out of it, the Berlin Wall falls. She wakes up eight months later and the doctor tells her son that her heart is weak so she must not have any stress or excitement. What could be more stressful and exciting than the wall falling? He ends up pretending that nothing happened, that Lenin did win after all, all the while, major coke signs are being erected right outside her window. Hilarious! Brilliant! Loved it!
8 ) The Truman Show
Let it be know that I cannot stand Jim Carey. However the idea that we could all be unwilling participants in a reality TV show is interesting and alarming.
I loved the premise of this film and it was good to see Jim being serious for once.
9) Anything with Kate Winslet
I loved her in Titanic, I loved her in Revolutionary Road, I loved her in The Holiday. Talented, stuningly beautiful, smart, sassy, kind, funny and good at raw emtion. If she’s in it, I’m going to see.
10) Anything with Johnny Depp (especially if Tim Burton is involved)
I’ve already mentioned Chocolat. There’s also Edward Scissorhands, Pirates, Alice & Charlie. He’s such a brilliant, versatile, quirky actor. He pulls off every single one of his roles.
My favourite bits of dialouge from the IT Crowd:
Jen: Hang on, guys.
[Typing on computer]
Jen: How can I help?
Roy: Well, we were just wondering now that you’re ‘the boss’, would you like us to access the data supply and connect you up to the matrix?
Jen: [pause] You just made all that up.
Roy: [shouting] You don’t know anything about computers! Admit it!
Jen: Would you stop trying to undermine me? Now get in there and do some work to do with computers! I’ll be in there in a minute to check up on you!
[Moss goes under her desk]
Roy: OK, lady! You’ve won this round! But we can wait. You will slip up one day. And believe you me, we will be there when you do. There will be some piece of evidence that will prove without any shadow of a doubt that you don’t know anything about computers!
Jen: [to Moss] What are you doing?
Moss: Plugging in your computer.
Roy: [Not realising Moss has found Jen’s computer unplugged] It might be something you say, or something you do, but when we notice it – and believe me, we will notice it – it’s gonna be a long way down for you, sweetcheeks!
[Leaves Jen’s office]
Moss: He’ll realise in a second.
Roy: [Runs back into Jen’s office and screams with delight] . Aaahhh!
Roy: OK, so here’s the plan.
Moss: A plan. Let me put on my slightly larger glasses.
[puts on slightly larger glasses]
Moss: OK, hit me.
Roy: OK, we go in.
Moss: When?
Roy: You know, like, in a minute.
Moss: Will that be enough time for me to get to know the plan?
Roy: Yeah, you know what? I shouldn’t have used the word “plan”. I’ve clearly gotten you overexcited.
Moss: Would scheme be a better word? Although that’s just as exciting. I might even need these
[puts on even larger glasses]
Roy: What is that?
Jen: Goat’s cheese salad.
Roy: Ugh! Ohhh!
Jen: You don’t like goat’s cheese?
Roy: I don’t like goat’s anything. I don’t like goats being involved in any stage of the food production process.
Jen: [Moss has a small plastic box with a flashing light] What is it?
Moss: This, Jen, is the Internet.
Jen: What?
Moss: That’s right.
Jen: This is the Internet? The whole Internet?
Moss: Yep. I asked for a loan of it so that you could use it in your speech.
Jen: It’s so small.
Moss: That’s one of the surprising things about it.
Jen: Hang on, it doesn’t have any wires or anything.
Moss: It’s wireless.
Jen: Oh, yes, everything’s wireless nowadays, isn’t it… yeah. So, I can really use it in my speech? What if someone needs it?
Moss: Oh, no, no, people will still be able to go online and everything. It will still work.
Jen: Oh, good, good…
Moss: I tell you, you present this to the shareholders and you will get quite the response.
Jen: Can I touch it? It’s so light!
Moss: Of course it is, Jen. The Internet doesn’t weigh anything.
Jen: No, of course it doesn’t.
[laughs nervously]
Roy: Hey! What is Jen doing with the Internet?
Jen: Moss said I could use it for my speech.
Roy: Are you insane? What if she drops it?
Jen: I won’t drop it, I’ll look after it.
Roy: No. No, no, no, no, Jen. No, this needs to go straight back to Big Ben.
Jen: Big Ben?
Moss: Yep. It goes on top of Big Ben. That’s where you get the best reception.
The random musings of Neen 