Where There Will Be Blood, There Will Be Me

I haven't been this excited about a new movie since, well, Dan In Real Life. But this is a different kind of movie - A Talented Mr. Ripley kind of movie. It is directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia). Everything about it reminds me of old Hollywood - you know, the kind where they had a plot. In addition to that, the music is... I don't even know how to begin to describe it except to say that it has this haunting, abstract, orchestral quality. Considering that it's composed by Radiohead's guitarist Johnny Greenwood might have something to do with it. Now that I think about it, it has a similar feel to the song Life In A Glass House from Amnesiac (which has always been my favorite on the album).

Just about everything in this movie makes me eager to watch it. The visuals remind me of a John Steinbeck novel. And Daniel, oh sweet Daniel Day-Lewis - a candy bar should be named after him. He's got a wicked Texan accent (and I mean wicked in the true sense of the word - not the Bostonian sense). Paul Dano also stars in this movie. You probably remember him from Little Miss Sunshine (the cute little dark existential teenager). This is going to be the kind of movie that feels like reading a book - if that's possible to do. Considering it's an adaptation of a novel by Upton Sinclair's Oil!, I suppose that might have something to do with it. Oh, the psychological thrill it will be. View the trailer now, or else there will be blood...

How perfect was that last sentence as cheesy as it sounds? :o)

Note that I normally don't promote R-rated films. Also note that even though I mentioned three other R-rated films in this post, it's purely coincidental. I normally don't watch... I... Sara... but you... okay.

What My Movie Shelf Says About Me

If there's one thing I know about myself, it is that I am a hopeless romantic. No, I'm a helpless romantic. Not in a cheesy Mandy Moore way, but in a clever Bill Murray way. I mean, there was a time in my life when the only movies I would rent from Blockbuster had to be Romcom's (romantic comedies) - otherwise it would stay on the shelf and keep collecting dust. Yes, not only did the movies have to have a love story element, but they had to be cute and funny - much the same way I like my men. It's important to note, that the endings of such movies always turn out where the couples get together. I will have none of this loved and loss nonsense (unless it's a period piece I suppose).

My movie shelf definitely confirms this about me. You see, of the fifteen movies I own (excluding television series and educational DVDs) almost all fall into the category of Romcom or Dramedy (dramatic comedy). However, I think it's more important to note that twelve of the fifteen end with the main love interests getting back together. I suppose Funny Girl is debatable; however, I like to think that the last song Fannie sings, "Oh, My Man I Love Him So," is a way of telling the viewer that she's not giving up on Nicky Arnstein and that she's going after him even though he left. I suppose I like my movies to be optimistic about love. This is true of the newest addition to my movie shelf: The Baxter. I found it online for $7.92 (including shipping & handling) so I decided I would splurge. I highly recommend all human beings watch this cute love story. It's right up there with Groundhog Day for me.

Here's a more detailed list of my fifteen movies in case you're wondering. The first twelve have endings where the characters remain together. Sara, where's my copy of Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet?

The Baxter
Dream For An Insomniac
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Four Weddings and A Funeral
Funny Girl
Groundhog Day
I'm With Lucy
Lorna Doone
Royal Tennenbaum's
Sliding Doors
So I Married An Axe Murderer
You've Got Mail

Lastly, here are the three where the main love interests part ways (or one of them kills the other as in the Talented Mr. Ripley). It's important to note that in two of these movies, the characters part ways on good terms and although they do indeed part, I'm not saddened or frustrated by it.

Edward Scissorhands
In Good Company
Talented Mr. Ripley

Other movies I want to aquire in the near future: Proof, The Wizard of Oz, Breaking Away, My Fair Lady, Sleepless In Seattle, Shakespeare In Love, Dr. Zhivago, Rounders, Four Daughters, Emma, Pride and Prejudice (BBC version of course), Life is Beautiful, Good Will Hunting, etc., etc., etc.

Okay now it's your turn. Take a look at your movie shelf and analyze what it might say about you. How many movies of yours are dramas, horror films, animations, children's movies, musicals, foreign films, documentaries, X-rated? How many are comedies and what kind of comedies are they: frat-boy slapstick or witty British? Which one's were given to you by other people; which one's did you actually want to spend the money and purchase yourself? How many are oldies but goodies? Are there recurring actors/actresses in many of your movies? How many movies do you buy on a whim withought having first seen? Why do you own the amount of movies you do? For example, I have a small movie shelf for a few reasons. Mainly, I only like to have things around me that I absolutely love, anything else is clutter to me and in my 450 square foot apartment, space is limited. Another reason, though, is that it's not in my budget to purchase such "wants" at this time. Figure this out, then come back to my blog and give me your interpretation of what your movie shelf might say about you.