About Movies

My friend Cheryl is doing her own version of the Just Ask Julie posts that I did earlier this year. I asked her lots of questions and here is the question she had for me.


Cheryl Asked: Julie- you have talked about how you don't watch movies because you have a hard time sitting through them. I'm wondering, are there any movies that you like so much you can sit through them? Do you have a favorite movie?

While I am not generally a movie fan, I did have a few good couch potato years in my childhood.


During summertime while my mom was at work, if we weren't with my grandparents, we were with a teenage babysitter. Then, when we were old enough, we just stayed home alone. We would get up and watch Summer School, Overboard, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Can't Buy Me Love and Revenge of the Nerds over and over again. I know Revenge of the Nerds is not a kids show, but I have told you before that we played by a different set of rules at our house. At Alyssa's 5th birthday party, my brother's friend, Travis, joked that she was getting pretty old and should have her first Nerds viewing. Don't worry, I didn't allow it but we all had a good laugh about that.

I went to the movies a lot in college too, but at some point I realized that I only liked to go to the $1 theater and only with my friend Michelle because she would talk to me during the movie. Otherwise, I drift off into la-la land or fall asleep. I used to fall asleep on dates to the movies sometimes.

Watching movies at home is hard because I get distracted and wander off. The other night Seth rented a movie from Redbox that I didn't care to see so I stayed upstairs and watched a different movie. 27 Dresses was on TV and I turned on just the last 20 minutes. It was enough to pretty much gather what the whole show had been about without wasting 2 hours watching it. It is funny that I can sit and read a book for hours, but I can't get through a movie. Reading is more engaging, and if I have spare time I would rather read.

I can't think of too many recent movies that I have even sat through, but over the years I have managed to collect a few favorites.

Grease was my first favorite, and I still love it. I also like Shawshank Redemption. I like Pretty Woman and Dirty Dancing. I love Defending Your Life. Seth is not that amused by it, but my parents and siblings agree that it is hilarious. My favorite recent-ish movie is Titanic...Okay so it wasn't that recent but I really haven't seen anything I really liked in about a decade. Titanic came out right before my mission. Me and Seth went to see it and when they announced that it was 3 1/2 hours, I almost got up and left. Since I have always loved all things Titanic, I stayed and bawled and went back to see it 6 more times. So cheesy, but I love the song from it too. I felt like it was written for me and Seth since we were parting ways for a couple years. I even framed the words to it for Seth and he took it on his mission. That frame is still on his dresser to this day. Embarrassing, I know.

Oh, and I like School of Rock. I always laugh at that one and I think that was actually in the last decade? I don't sit and watch it in it's entirety though, just a few minutes here and there whenever it is on.

My favorite movies are old movies. I like movies made from classic plays. I like movies without all the modern special effects. The actors had to actually know how to act and it feels more like watching a play to me. I love Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire. Tennessee Williams is the play writing equivalent of John Steinbeck. I also love Gaslight. I like Rebecca, although that is from a book and not a play. Good book though, and a good movie. And my favorite old movie is Pygmalion.


So yes, there are a few movies I will sit through, but I haven't seen a movie trailer that caught my eye in a really long time. A few times a year I sit and watch a movie with Seth but I usually fall asleep or end up underwhelmed. I am pretty over Hollywood, and everyone in it by now.

*Update: This morning my mom sent this picture. My brother just turned 21. For his birthday, my sister Valerie framed this picture of the "nerds" and cropped in Steven's head, as well as two of his buddies. I have pointed them out with green arrows. My brother is the one in the middle. The one with the pink arrow is Poindexter. Nerdiest of the nerdy, and the one my family compares to me. Thanks guys!