The 15 on 15 -- Top 15 Movies

I'm jumping on the bandwagon. The idea comes from Derek, who along with Ruvym and Ariel (and now Brooke) have posted their top 15 movies of all time. What follows is is a list of my favorite fifteen movies, not what I consider to be the "best" movies of all time (aka, I did not evaluate exclusively on quality of acting, cinematography, script, etc.). These are movies that I personally enjoy, and to me have a high "rewatchability" factor. Repeat viewing was an important factor in making this list, which adversely affected two groups of movies: recent releases and suspense/thriller/plot twist movies. A few movies that I enjoy that belong to those categories are included in the honorable mentions after the list. Now without further ado, my top 15:

15. Monty Python & The Holy Grail -- Wacky British humor, and eminently quotable. Absurd? Undoubtably. Hillarious? You bet.

14. Aladdin -- My vote for best Disney animated film. Casting Robin Williams as the voice of the geenie was a stroke of brilliance.

13. Hamlet -- Yes, the four-hour epic Kenneth Branagh version. Marquee cast, beautiful sets, and accurate down to the Bard's last line.

12. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (extended edition) -- Okay, so there are three movies here but I justify it as one entry because a) J.R.R. Tolkien intended it to be one story not three and Peter Jackson filmed all three at the same time.

11. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon -- A breathtaking piece of work visually - the martial arts scenes seem more poetic than belligerent. I recommend watching it with the original Mandarin dialogue and English subtitles. Dubbing would detract from the movie.

10. Pride and Prejudice (BBC miniseries) -- Another long piece but only because it does right by Jane Austen and remains faithful to the book. Often imitated, never duplicated. Colin Firth is Mr. Darcy.

9. The Shawshank Redemption -- A movie about hope and the triumph of the human spirit. First and foremost, this is a great story. It's well paced and very thought-provoking. There's a reason that so many people list Shawshank as one of their favorite movies.

8. Jurassic Park -- What can I say, I like dinosaurs. The T-rex scene is still one of my all-time movie favorites.

7. The Cutting Edge -- Practically obligatory for any ice skater. Sure it's a cheesy romantic comedy (and incredibly unrealistic on several levels), but anyone who's been in the world of competitive skating will appreciate the in-jokes and portayals.

6. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade -- Best of the series. Sean Connery makes the film, and he and Harrison Ford have an excellent rapport.

5. Amadeus -- An interesting take on the life of Mozart as seen from rival composer Antonio Salieri. Great music and a great movie.

4. A Few Good Men -- Come for the law drama, stay for the snappy (and quotable) Sorkin dialogue. For me, this movie has become practically synonymous with undergrad mock trial (mostly thanks to Derek). But much like Law & Order and almost any other lawyer movie, don't try this at home (er, at work?).

3. The Mask of Zorro -- A fun, fun movie perfectly complemented by popcorn. This is a great example of the Hollywood summer blockbuster. Swashbuckling s-word action? Check. Explosions? Check. Dashing rogue hero seeking revenge? Check. Compelling villians? Check and check. Sultry spanish dance scene? Check. And CZJ is easy on the eyes too.

2. Star Wars: Episode V --The Empire Strikes Back -- It was hard to pick one Star Wars movie for the list, and it's a close call between Empire and A New Hope (or just plain ol' Star Wars to most people). I like many elements from both movies, but Empire seems to age like a fine wine - I appreciate this movie much more now than I did when I was younger. I feel like I get a slightly different twist every time I watch it, and not just because of the prequels or the fact that George keeps changing things. I prefer the original or the '97 special edition.

1. Casablanca -- A timeless classic with engaging characters, a touching love story, and a wonderful non-stereotypical Hollywood ending. Also very quotable.



Honorable mentions (in random order):
Sabrina, Serenity, Pirates of the Caribbean, When Harry Met Sally, Contact, True Lies, Goldeneye, Gremlins, The Matrix, 12 Monkeys, The Usual Suspects, Sneakers, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Chicago, Roman Holiday, Some Like it Hot, High Fidelity, Ronin

A few harmless flakes

That's right, we're talking snow.

We've had a few snowfalls this year in South Bend, but yesterday was the first significant snowstorm of the season. Up until then we've had maybe an inch or so of accumulation and lots of flurries (some have remarked that the flurries seemed like "movie set snow"* -- the kind that just seems to hang in the air). Yesterday's storm dumped several inches (maybe 9"?). Brooke told me this morning that it took her 45 minutes just to dig her car out of the snow. What a great kickoff for finals season here at NDLS.

As the storm headed east, Derek had to spend the night in a hotel rather than head home. His car was covered in snow, though that's nothing compared to the cars here in the Bend. Things got even more interesting further east -- Honor experienced an interesting phenomenon known as "thundersnow." This is the first I've ever heard of such a storm, but then again I'm not much of a weather nerd.

It's been more or less clear all day today, and when I don't have to be out trudging around in it, the snow is pretty to look at. With a little imagination, I can picture myself in a cozy little ski village rather than here in Indiana. A day of skiing (and perhaps some après-ski) sure beats studying for/taking finals. And by skiing, I mean downhill skiing, not cross-country. I'll let gravity do most of the work, thanks. There's also a part of me -- call it my "inner child" -- that would rather be fashioning snowman works of art. After all, that too would far beat the whole finals rigamarole. But at least this time next week I'll have another semester of law school behind me. We're supposed to get a few more inches of snow tomorrow, but hopefully things will be clear for the drive back to Ohio.



* Take the movie snow challenge! Name each of the following movies (by leaving a comment or emailing me), based on these snowfall images:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

First person with the most correct wins a prize of my choosing.

Get those Tostitos ready...

It's official: Ohio State and Notre dame will head to Tempe, Arizona to duke it out in the Fiesta Bowl. It's a can't-miss game for an "Irish Buckeye." It'll be an interesting matchup, and one I didn't expect to see for a while.

In anticipation of the occasion, here are links to each school's fight song:

First, Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame...
Then hear the Buckeye Battle Cry!

For more news on the BCS bowls and the impending OSU-ND Fiesta matchup, check out Brendan's blog.

Sopranos in the Stacks

The ND Law Library staff has apparently become so fed up with the behavior (specifically, not adhering to the law library rules) of some law students that they've resorted to threats and beatings. A recent email sent to law students explains:

Turns out [Day Access Services Supervisor Mary] Cowsert told [the law student] she always “gets upset” when students don’t observe the rule about cell phone use in the library. She then followed up her statement with a right cross and a left hook. As [the student] hit the floor, she finished him off with a swift kick to the mid-section.

The email concludes with the following thinly veiled threat:

Students who enjoy maintaining possession of their teeth or who prefer their brown/green/hazel eyes to “black and blue” ones should follow the library cell phone rule.

Is it just me, or does this sound more like South Jersey* than South Bend?



*I apologize in advance to the fine people of the state of New Jersey.