In a Downton State of Mind

Downton Abbey is about to hit American televisions again this winter and I can't wait!  Not only because my British relatives and friends have already seen most of this season and I have been trying to avoid spoilers like the plague, but also because I LOVE period dramas.  I find other time periods so fascinating for so many different reasons.  What we were women and men like then?  What did they wear?  Culture?  But I always seem to gravitate most towards Britain's history.  Maybe because I am self proclaimed anglophile and maybe because they have so much history how could you not be fascinated by it? So here are some of my favorite and must-see British Period Dramas:

Bright Star

The real life romance of Poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne.  It's 1818 and these two shouldn't really like each other.  John is a quiet, smart, sometimes aloof (though I think more shy) poet focused on his work.  He is an artsy type that wouldn't know a petticoat from a bonnet.  Fanny Brawne on the other hand is beautiful, charming, fashionable, but has more depth to her than you would expect.  Maybe this is where don't judge a book by it's cover would come into play for both of them.  John teaches Fanny poetry and a budding romance develops quick and deep, but alas short-lived.  This was not a story I was familiar and what an amazing job by Jane Campion, who you may know from the Piano and the most recent Golden Globe nominated Top of the Lake.

Becoming Jane

What girl doesn't love Jane Austen?  In my opinion she invented the foundation for every romantic comedy I have ever seen.  But who knew she had a romance of her own?  I love this movie, despite Anne Hathaway. Oh Anne has her very own blog dedicated just to her Anne Hathaway Blog, but for me this movie is all about James McAvoy and his character Thomas Lefroy.  It is unproven that this romance even existed but to think that Pride and Prejudice might have come from her real life and to see this on the screen was amazing.  My breath catches in my throat every time I see this scene and moment 1:19.  The look he gives her just makes me melt.  The chemistry of the two actors is authentic and palpable and I watch this movie whenever I need a romance injection.

 North and South

I'm taking a little bit of liberty here as this isn't a film but the fact that you get such build from this story makes it my absolute favorite BBC miniseries ever!  It is based on Elizabeth Gaskell's 1855 novel about the North of England when industrialization was taking place.  This is probably the most boring description about the most fantastic romance between Margaret Hale, a demur daughter of London bred scholar, and Robert Thornton, a tough hard-working mill owner from the North.  Margaret and her family must move to a fictional Northern town called Milton so different from their Southern estate that it takes the whole family by surprise how different the North and South really are.  Robert falls in love immediately but gets shunned by Margaret before she truly realizes what being a good man means.  I want to give more away but I won't because the story deserves better and makes me wish I could watch it for the first time all over again.  Richard Armitage is an outstanding romantic lead and makes me wonder why he doesn't play roles like this more often!

Persuasion

Photo Courtesy of imdb.com

Sigh...my favorite Austen novel.  How could I write a blog about period dramas and not include Jane? There is just something about a lost love only to be found again based on the content of one's character that makes me love this book and film.  Something about second chances, mistakes of youth, and rediscovering love.  There have been many adaptations but my favorite is the 2007 version starring the wonderfully British Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penny-Jones.  Sally Hawkins plays Anne Elliot so well, you want to root for Anne, and feel her pain when she sees Captain Wentworth after so many years.  Anne doesn't say a lot but you can feel her silent torture and regret from a look or a breath.  Jane Austen takes these characters on an emotional journey that I am more than willing to follow.  There was a time when matches were made based on family history, social standing, and money.  But what happens when the one person you love is the one person you think you can't have? Read it, watch it, read and watch it again, I persuade to do so.

If you haven't seen Downton yet (have you been living under a rock?) catch up before the new season starts.  Immerse yourself in a time that's not your own and enjoy these British Period stories from a video store.

The British do Holidays the Best

Sorry America, but the British know how to do Christmas and they do it good.  It's about the 3 F's family,  "footy" (that's soccer for you Yanks) and food.  Do you know what Christmas Crackers are? Well, they are not food and they are pretty amazing.  They are these cardboard tubes filled with a little gun-powder that pop when you pull them apart.  Inside are many treasures, value differs depending on the ones you buy, a joke, and a magical crown that you wear on top of your head during dinner.  I look pretty good in a hat, if I say so myself, so I love rockin' my Christmas crown!

Photo courtesy of teaandsympathynewyork.com

And of course when I think of the Holidays I think of spending my time off curled up on my couch with my doggies and kitty watching some great movies.  Here are my favorite British Holiday films:

Love Actually

Who doesn't love this movie?  Well written, cast, and edited.  Some noteworthy performances from Keira Knightley, Andrew Lincoln (pre-Walking Dead fame), Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, and many more stars.  It makes you laugh, cry, and realize everyone needs a little love on Christmas. And knowing movies, I think you can guess what I've chosen as one of my favorite scenes.  That's right,the musical cover, and one of the best versions of this Mariah Carey hit


Bridget Jones's Diary

A re-imagining of Jane Austen, a British romantic comedy staring Colin Firth as Mark Darcy, holiday time in England, this could be known as my perfect movie.  Initially there was some concern over Renee Zellweger being cast as Bridget (or maybe that was just me!), but I think she does a great job. You have to want to root for Bridget even in her worst moments and I never stop liking Renee in the film.  I think any woman can relate to Bridget.  She says the wrong thing at the wrong time, does the wrong thing at the wrong time, but has a great heart, and all she really wants is a good man to love her even if she drinks, eats, and smokes a little too much! This is definitely a swoon-worthy scene where Colin Firth's character Mark Darcy tells Bridget how he likes her...just the way she is!  Oh, if there were more Mr. Darcy's...

The Holiday

Heartbroken at Christmas, house-swapping vacations, Jude Law & Kate Winslet in the same movie, yes please!  This movie takes place in LA and England but the English actors and the scenes in England are the best part for me.  Kate Winslet's cottage in this movie is what I think of, in my head, when I picture "ideal English cottage!"  Jude Law steals the show as the hunky widower who falls in love with Cameron Diaz.  I don't want to ruin the movie if you haven't seen it, but there is a reason why Cameron Diaz's character is a little stand-offish about love.  However in my favorite scene you find that she may have more in common with her wooing widower's kids and fit in this family better than she could have ever imagined.

So grab a blanket, sip a Cuppa', and enjoy these very British and very awesome movies in this Holiday story from a video store.

The Booger Box

For anyone that worked at a video store each store had a return box.  At West Coast Video we had two: an overnight box outside and a mail-like chute you could open the front door, drop-in, and leave.  When I would work all day on Saturdays one of my jobs in the morning would be to unlock the outside box from the night before.  You would open each box, check to see if you had to rewind the movie, and scanned the bar code for return.

Image courtesy of YouTube

One day I was opening boxes as usual and looked down to see snot, mucus, boogers, whatever you want to call it all over the video I was about to scan.  I screamed, dropped the movie on the ground, showed my manager (we both laughed hysterically after the initial shock) and then grabbed some paper towels.  I took a deep breath, picked up the movie, and scanned.  That's right genius the scanner showed who last rented the video!  And let me say the person in question was a young well dressed man in his early twenties that some girls in the store thought was cute!  Well....not after this!

Caught booger-handed and what a disgusting story from a video store.

5 Movies You'd Bring to a Deserted Island

So for argument's sake let's assume on this island you had electricity, a tv, and dvd player!  Just go with me, if you could only watch 5 movies for the rest of your life, what would they be?  Here are my 5 in no particular order:

Dirty Dancing

This is the second ever movie I watched and have probably viewed more times than any movie ever.  It's got a great soundtrack, the dancing is authentic, and is supposed to take place in the Catskills.  I have vacationed every year of my life in the Adirondacks so that detail is especially endearing to me.  I never really felt like the "pretty" girl in life so the fact that Baby is played by a normal looking girl hooked me from the start.  Patrick Swayze as Johnny is great casting.  He acts like a real man even though he could dance circles around most.  And I have always wanted someone to say, "Nobody puts Abbie in the corner!"  But don't watch it with me because I tend to recite my favorite lines out loud and will never get sick of this flick.

The Departed

What a great movie this is from start to finish.  Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio create a masterpiece.  It has cops, secrets&lies, romance, blood&guts, twists&turns, the kind of movie you wished you hadn't seen so you could watch it for the first time again.  It's too complicated to explain so just watch and enjoy.

The Little Princess

There will be a blog that I write at some point called Movies that Make You Cry No Matter How Many Times You've Seen them.  This film definitely goes on the list.  There is a certain magic to this film from the set design, to the costumes, to the story.  Set during World War 1, a little girl gets taken to a boarding school when her father goes to war.  Without giving too much away...she thinks he has died and is put into a life of servitude by the horrible head mistress, only to discover that her father is really alive!  If you haven't seen this film get your tissues ready.  I wanted to add the clip of the end because it's my favorite part but I won't because it would ruin the movie if you haven't seen it yet and it's just too good to ruin.  And remember...all girls are princesses!

Sense and Sensibility

I love Jane Austen!  This 1995 adaptation is definitely my favorite of this book.   Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, and many more stars take on this Ang Lee film.  This was my first taste of Jane Austen.  I saw the movie and then read the book.  Then I read all the books and watched every adaptation of every book I could.  This isn't my favorite Jane Austen book or movie, but I'm keeping that a secret for a future blog.  I love epic British anything that takes you back to a different time where women had very different roles.  I have to watch this movie every time it's on and I love reconnecting with the Dashwood girls anytime I can.

Superbad

Didn't see this coming did you?  I would need to laugh on my deserted island wouldn't I?  Jonah Hill and Michael Cera are so funny in this film.  I can't even pick out my favorite part because I love them all.  I think all teenagers have had a night, maybe not exactly like this, but close enough, to relate. Underage drinking and drugs, partying with scary older kids, dodgy cops, and a time you'll never forget and will try to recreate as long as you live.  I would totally have been their friend in high school.

So I think I would be pretty entertained on my deserted island.  Pop open a coconut and I'm set but how about you?  What would your 5 movies be in this stranded story from a video store?

Let's hear it for the boys

I fully admit it, I love romantic comedies.  I'm a girl, what can I say!  But sometimes I just want to see a movie where shit blows up and a man acts like a man.  Here are some of my fave dude flicks:

Shawshank Redemption

What is it about a prison movie and the emotional well-being of these inmates that makes this one of every man's favorite movies?  I guess even in the lowest of lows you can find hope and friendship.

Die Hard

What man do you know that has never said "Yipee Kay-Yay Mother-F*#%er."  This film established Bruce Willis as an action star that with whom the regular man can relate to.  Trying to reconcile with his wife, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, really discovering the stuff your made of.  What a cliche, but a very entertaining one!

Rocky

Sylvester Stallone won an Oscar for this film.  When you visit Philly you run the "Rocky" steps, of course with the soundtrack playing in your head, and relive this movie's epic scene.  The story of an underdog, got to love it.  Plus there is a little romance for the ladies.

Bad Boys

A comedian and rapper turned actors?  Will Smith and Martin Lawrence were starring in their own hit tv shows at the time and what a great piece of casting.  This Miami back-dropped cop movie is funny and engaging and who doesn't know and want to sing the song.  "Bad boys, bad boys, what-cha gonna do, what-cha gonna do, when they come for you?"

Crocodile Dundee

Australian Outback meets NYC!  A taste of a man's man living and fending for himself in the "bush", coming to NYC, and being so out of place, but learning how to fit in better than any real New Yorker.  My favorite scene and I quote, "That's not a knife, this is a knife!"

So come on ladies, rent a dude flick, and discover your own manly stories from a video store.

How Adam Sandler almost got me fired

When I would work the opening shift at West Coast Video on Saturday mornings I would get to choose the first movie that would play for day.  It would set my mood for the rest of the day, like a good cup of coffee!  As you have read in previous blogs, I love a good musical Some of the best musicals you have probably never seen and I also love movies that have good soundtracks.  There is one Adam Sandler movie that fits both, The Wedding Singer.

This was a first pairing for Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.  A heartwarming romantic comedy with some hit tunes of the 80's as it's backdrop!  So there is this scene where Adam Sandler's character Robbie is trying out to be Julia's (Played by Drew Barrrymore) singer at her wedding.  Robbie has just been dumped and has written an original tune for the audition.  I would time this part of the movie perfectly.  It has a pg-13 rating, I think, because of the expletive in this one scene alone.  So I would wait for the moment, run over to the sound system, and turn it off until this song was over.  Well this Saturday morning in question was a particularly busy one.  Rainy days at a video store were usually a very popular time for renting videos. I was busy helping multiple customers and I just couldn't get there in time to turn the sound off.

Imagine having to apologize to a woman and her 3 kids under the age of 9 why this was blasted at 11:30 am for all ears to hear.  Oops!  However, I still love this movie and many other Adam Sandler flicks!

So watch the clip above, in all of it's 1 min and 54 seconds of the song entitled Someone Kill Me Please, which was the reason I got my first employee counseling session and how Adam Sandler almost got me fired in this story from a video store.

Anne Hathaway is my new Samantha Mathis

For a movie-holic a video store could be a virtual candyland of what life is like elsewhere, everywhere. It was here that I realized some girls can have everything....or everyone.  Is it possible to be jealous of someone you will never meet?  Like really jealous to the point of writing a blog about it...I guess my answer is yes.   So here it is:

How Anne Hathaway has become my Samantha Mathis:

Let's start with Samantha.

Pump up the Volume with Christian Slater, sigh...There was a time when Christian Slater ruled the box office. He had this twinkle in his eye that said I'm a bit of a bad boy.  The crooked smile, the hair, the Jack Nicholson-esque voice.  I fell for him first in The Legend of Billy Jean.  Then desired him in Heathers where he was a psychopathic bad boy.  Didn't love Gleaming the Cube, but loved his hair.  He was the little brother you rooted for in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.  Then came Untamed Heart...romance at it's finest.  Critical acclaim in True Romance another love story in Bed of Roses (Mary Stuart Masterson gets special mention, can anyone say Benny and Joon).  But Samantha got him first.

The Thing Called Love with River Phoenix and Dermot Mulroney.  It hurts that there will generations of girls who won't know who River Phoenix was.  I also never knew that at the time of his death, Samantha was his real-life girlfriend too (20th Anniversay of River Phoenix's death) In his short time he starred in some pretty great movies. Obviously most people know him best from Stand By Me or even as Young Indy in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  I fell in love with him in this country-music fan's delight.  It even stars a young Sandra Bullock, but Sandy is not Sam.   Oh no, Samantha Mathis gets him to sing and fall in love with her all while Dermot Mulroney is silently lusting after her too. Seriously not fair.

Little Women came next with Christian Bale.  Like right after Newsies Christian Bale, young and hot.  Right before he hit it big and I don't care what Louisa May Alcott says, Laurie should have been with Jo, not Amy.

I lose touch with Samantha after that, then in 2007 she does a tv movie with A Stranger's Heart with Peter Dobson....who's he you ask?  I have one word for you: Sing.  The perfect 1989 musical about a Brooklyn school, good girl/bad boy, save the show spectacular.  You know how I love musicals and this last number will give you the chills (fast forward to 1:50min) and can be seen in full on YouTube.

It just seemed that some girls get all the luck.  I thought I was done with the jealousy thing.  I grew up, became a woman, got married, but then came Anne Hathaway, oh Anne...you get to sing, kiss, and get naked with just about one of every girl's fantasy and I'm sure she isn't done.

It first starts with Nicholas Nickleby with Charlie Hunnam and Jamie Bell, Ella Enchanted with Hugh Dancy, Princess Diaries sequel with Chris Pine, Brokeback Mountain with Jake Gyllenhaal, Devil Wears Prada with Adrien Grenier and Simon Baker, Becoming Jane with James McAvoy (the look he gives her when they dance makes my heart beat faster as I write this) Passengers with Patrick Wilson, Bride Wars with the adorable Bryan Greenberg, Valentine's Day with Topher Grace, Love & Other Drugs with Jake Gyllenhaal again, One Day with Jim Sturgess, Dark Knight Rises with Christian Bale and this where it hits me.  Anne Hathaway is my new Samantha Mathis.  The girl that gets all the guys.  My sworn film-watching enemy.

 But this isn't real life it's stories from a video store.

Are My Childhood Horror Films Still Scary to Me as an Adult?

I'll admit it, I don't like scary movies.  It's not because I don't think they are entertaining it's because my over active imagination turns into overdrive after watching them.  I have nightmares.  I can't take my dogs out at night without thinking that someone is going to jump over the fence with a knife.  And now since it's Halloween scary movies are on tv all the time.  So I decided to put a theory to the test. Would movies that scared me as a kid scare me now?  The answer...sort of!

Poltergeist-Still Scary

Entitled the clown scene!  A clown in a chair that's possessed, add some scary music, and that's me not sleeping for a few days!  Add a creepy little girl, some very scary catchphrases, and a underground cemetery, yikes!

Ghostbusters-More fun than scary

I really only remember being scared during this, the library scene.  I still get those butterflies of anticipation waiting for the ghost to show it's face.  For years I never actually knew what happened because my brother would shout, "Close your eyes!"  And I would wait for the scary face to be over.  I really see this movie as a fun look into NYC in the 80's.  And the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is definitely more cute than scary.

A Nightmare on Elm Street-Idea is scarier than the movie

Someone able to kill you in your dreams, no thanks!  However, Tina's death scene watched as an adult is really funny.  The special effects are so old-school that you can't help but look for the string when she is being lifted off the bed.  Still, it's a classic and the original.

What are your scariest movies from your childhood in these spooky tales from a video store?

I hate Simon and Garfunkel

I really don't want to but I do, I hate Simon and Garfunkel, and it's not my fault.  Paul Simon can probably be argued as one of the best song writers, maybe ever.  He and Garfunkel are one of the best folk duo's with many hits, that people adore, but every time I hear Bridge Over Troubled Water, I die a little on the inside.  Why, you ask?

Image courtesy of Amazon.com

When I first started working at West Coast Video I had a male boss probably in his mid to late forties.  He was a nice, harmless man, and really gave me my first taste of the world of movies.  In our store we had a sound system, under the counter, that was hooked up to a VCR, and surround sound speakers with monitors throughout the floor.  Whoever was in charge of the store that day got to select what was played in the VCR.  Well my boss liked Simon and Garfunkel so much that he played Simon and Garfunkel-The Concert in Central Park (1982) every day he was in charge.  When the 90 minute concert was over, I got maybe a 2 minute reprieve as the VHS was rewinding, and then he started it over again.  This proceeded all day, every day for about a year.  It was like living in a folk inspired jail.  Then out of the blue one day he put in Billy Joel- Live From Long Island (1990) and that was it.  The last straw, he was NOT going to ruin Billy for me!  I had enough, spoke to my assistant manager and asked to never work with my boss again.  Fortunately for me he left West Coast Video and my assistant manage became my manager and Simon and Garfunkel were never heard from again.

I got to continue to love Billy in this story from a video store.

Some of the best Musicals you have probably never seen

I am a sucker for a musical.  It doesn't even have to be particularly good, if someone is singing, I'm watching.  There are many popular well known musicals that are everyone's favorite.  There are a few lesser known or maybe even under-appreciated musicals that I love and think if you like this genre, are a must see:



Fast Forward

Directed by Sidney Poitier this 80's classic has it all!  It is a movie about a dance crew from Ohio moving to New York City to make it big.  The crew consists of well trained dancers that think they have all the right moves until a rival crew challenges them to a dance battle.  They quickly find that they are a little old-fashioned in the "moves" department with the end leading up to being featured in a big dance competition with their new dance hall grooves.  80's nostalgia at it's finest.  So go on YouTube and watch, they have the whole movie for viewing!

Cry-Baby

This 1990 musical is a little more well known on this list however I feel that it's totally under-appreciated. A screen-goer's first taste of Johnny Depp.  When he arrives on the screen I think my breath actually caught in my throat. It's your classic- bad boy wants good girl, the bad boy isn't actually bad, just misunderstood, and gets the girl in the end.  It also takes place in the 50's so it's a neat homage to that era.  This musical is directed John Waters, who also directed another fave of mine, The original Hairspray starring Ricki Lake. The only disappointing thing is that Johnny doesn't actually sing the songs himself because the soundtrack is awesome.  Can't get this one on YouTube but it's available on Netflix.

Back to the Beach

Do you know who Annette and Frankie are?  If you don't, google them both.  Annette Funicello was America's sweetheart in her day.  Frankie Avalon sang the famous 1959 song "Venus".  They came together cinematically in the 60's for some fun beach themed romps.  Beach Blanket Bingo is my favorite of the bunch.  Back to the Beach (1987) sees Frankie and Annette 20 years later returning to their youth with their teenage son in tow to visit their beach living daughter played by Lori Loughlin (of Full House fame).  I love getting a glimpse into California in the 80's since I only experienced the East Coast version of it.  Frankie and Annette both sing a few catchy tunes in this light-hearted movie that you can also catch completely on YouTube.


Eddie and the Cruisers

Definitely the most serious movie in the list.  This 1983 cult classic starring Michael Pare was marketed with the tagline Rebel. Rocker. Lover. Idol. Vanished.  How could I resist?  Set mostly in flashbacks of the band's earlier days, with a New Jersey background setting (Can anyone say Bruce Springsteen?), the premise of the story is a re-release of Eddie and the Cruiser's first album and the telling of how Eddie hit fame and then vanished, assumed dead...or is he?  Again disappointing that Michael doesn't actually sing in the film, but he sells it well and the song really became a hit in the 80's.  There is also a sequel: Eddie and the Cruisers II-Eddie Lives! (1989).  BOTH can also be seen, in full, on YouTube.

I hope you like the suggestions!
Sincerely,
Stories from a video store

My First Movie

Everyone has a first everything.  Do you have a first film memory?  Where I grew up there was a small video store called Palmer Video.  It was a little bit of heaven that had steps to walk down into all the movies.  There literally was a poster of an angel as you walked in: Date with an Angel, starring Michael E. Knight (known primarily as Tad Martin on All My Children).

 It had red carpeting and a huge counter that I couldn't see over.  As you walked in directly to the right there was a little section filled with as many movies as I thought I could see in all of my 6 years of life!  And down on the very bottom shelf, maybe a smart ploy for a 6 year old, was the very first movie I asked my mom to see over and over again:

The Garbage Pail Kids Movie starring Mackenzie Astin.  Do you remember the trading cards like Ali Gator, Messy Tessie, and every 6 year old's favorite Valerie Vomit?!!  I couldn't believe these characters came to life on the screen, the very first taste of my imagination unfolding into 90 glorious minutes.

I think what I remember most were the clothes!  Remember when fingerless gloves were an essential man-accessory?  In the movie the character Tangerine actually made and sold her own designs!  Oh did I long for a gold mini-skirt and heels!  I remember the way her sequin shirts sounded as she moved, Tangerine was so cool.

As for the story, who cares, I was 6!  It certainly touched on points like bullying and that nice guys can finish first with the help of some disgusting little friends with magic powers!  But the point is, it's the first memory I have of watching a movie: location, soundtrack, set design, actors and the magic 90 minutes can create.

What is your first story from a video store?