365 days of movies

Spellbound (2002)

2011-04-18T20:46:00.000-07:00

I absolutely adore the game Scrabble. I love the feel of the wood tiles, the sound of the tiles clicking when shaking the bag, the wood tile rack and the geometric board. Unfortunately, no one will play with me. I'm an English teacher and that alone scares people when it comes to Scrabble. So sadly, I am left playing with strangers on Facebook. It's a sad truth.

In 2002, a brilliant documentary called Spellbound was released. It's strange and hilarious at the same time. The film follows eight American kids as they prepare for the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee championships. The degree to which they prepare is awesome. And if you thought that parents of kids involved in team sports were competitive, think again. They dull in comparison to some of the spelling bee parents. Yikes! Spellbound provides an insightful look inside a seemingly trivial activity.

Run Fat Boy Run (2007)

2011-04-17T22:34:00.000-07:00

My friends Joanne, Zen, Jade, and Ian ran in the Vancouver 10K Sun Run today and so my movie recommendation is a tribute to them - especially Jo who is 3 1/2 months pregnant! Talk about putting all of us lazy asses to shame!

Run Fat Boy Run (2007) seems to be a fairly unknown movie. It was directed by David Schwimmer of Friends fame, starring one of my favourites, Simon Pegg. Now, Simon Pegg tends to play the same character over and over again; however, unlike Jennifer Aniston, he keeps it fresh and his character is so darn likable, despite all his flaws. Pegg plays an out of shape loser who tries to win his ex-fiance back by running a marathon. The movie is funny and heartwarming. I was also really glad to see that David Schwimmer didn't make a cameo appearance in the film. That would have ruined the whole thing! The movie has funny dialogue and just enough pathos to keep it grounded. It's a wonderful film. It won't inspire you to run a marathon but it might make you want to root for the out of shape guy who does.

In Loving Memory of Neva (2011)

2011-04-16T23:16:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends in high school was a girl named Colleen. We met in grade 8 and over 5 years took almost all of our classes together, traveled to California with the school band (and were roomies), went to a Bryan Adams concert in Vancouver, and even worked together at the same clothing store in the mall. After graduation we grew apart but still kept in touch. She married the boy next door (literally) whom she met when we were in high school and a couple years ago they moved out east to Halifax.

I sent Colleen an e-mail earlier today, congratulating her on the birth of her baby girl Neva. Earlier this month, I received a message about the birth via Facebook but I finally got around to sending a personal message via email today. I wanted to let Colleen know that my e-mail address had changed and that I really wanted to see pictures of her bundle of joy. I heard back from Colleen and was deeply saddened to hear that Neva passed away a week after she was born. The birth was extremely complicated and Colleen almost died. Thankfully, she survived.

It's times like these in which we are never prepared. Although we are no longer best friends I wish I could fly out to Halifax to give her a big hug, cook meals for her family and just be there for her. My heart goes out to her and so tonight, I dedicate my post to Colleen, her husband Maurice, her son Nik and the memory of the daughter Neva.

Dirty Dancing (1987)

2011-04-15T22:32:00.000-07:00

I've had the time of my life. No I've never felt this way before. Yes I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you... DIRTY BIT!

I've got the song stuck in my head and for a good reason. Today 1100 students and staff at my school participated in a lip dub to the Black Eyed Peas remix "Time-Dirty Bit." The idea was to build school spirit and it was a brilliant idea! I've been teaching for 12 years and believe me, generating school spirit with high school students is a difficult task. It's hard to get buy-in and often times, school spirit activities come off as artificial and contrived. Many students and staff were skeptical when the idea of the lip dub first came out. Many complained about the song. But it all came together today and I have never seen a student body as excited and pumped up as I did today. The lip dub is being edited this weekend and I hope to post it on my blog early next week. So, tonight, I dedicate my post to 1987's Dirty Dancing starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.

"Nobody puts Baby in the corner"

Clearly the best line in the entire film. I think Conan would agree. I can't say that this movie is one of my favourites but it certainly has amazing moments, such as the the final dance scene. And the soundtrack is pretty awesome (well except for the cheesy song, "She's like the wind" sung by Patrick Swayze himself.) This movie brings back a myriad of memories. It was released when I was in grade 8 and it was THE movie that year among high school girls. I didn't get it though. I never crushed on Patrick Swayze. I was 12 and he was, well... old. My friends lurved him. For them, it started with The Outsiders but I personally found his look too mature. I was slightly creeped out when Baby and Johnny Castle got together, but then again I was a naive 12.

This movie offers great dancing, a little romance, dramatic tension, and just the right amount of cheese. It's a fun one! DIRTY BIT!

Marley and Me (2008)

2011-04-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

I dragged myself to the gym today (first time since November) to take a spin class and had a flashback moment. During our warm up, The Verve's "Lucky Man" was playing and I was reminded of how amazing the album Urban Hymns is. Bittersweet Symphony is one of my all time favourite songs. The opening violins are haunting. God, I've got to dig out that CD tonight. As "Lucky Man" was playing, I decided that my movie recommendation today would be a film with "Lucky Man" on its soundtrack. I swear I've seen a film with a moody drug sequence coinciding with the song, but, surprisingly, the two films that include "Lucky Man" are Marley and Me or The Girl Next Door. So, Marley and Me it is!

Marley and Me was a complete surprise for a number of reasons. First, my friends and I were expecting a light comedy. Why wouldn't we? The lead actors are Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. Little did we know that we'd all (guys and girls alike) be leaving the theatre teary eyed. Second, Jennifer Aniston gave a decent performance. Jennifer Aniston was great as Rachel Green in Friends but has had a really difficult time holding her own on the silver screen. God only knows why she still gets big movie offers. She's lovely but let's face it, she doesn't have much range. In fact, she only plays one role - some variation of Rachel Green. However, I admit that in Marley and Me, Jennifer Aniston was not a liability. The movie was both heart-warming and heart-breaking. I've never owned a dog (or a pet for that matter, unless you can count a goldfish that my little sister fed to death) but Marley and Me resonated on many different levels. I would think that it would do even more so for those who have had or currently have dogs as pets. It's a good one! Now, off to find my CD!

Pride and Prejudice (2005)

2011-04-13T22:44:00.000-07:00

The inaugural post...

My name is Shannon Maria and I love literature. For the past three days, I've had Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice on the brain. I was surfing Etsy and came across the most heart breaking mug with the quote "You must allow me to tell you how ardently I love you." Sigh...

So with that in mind, my first movie recommendation is Pride and Prejudice, the 2005 version starring Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennett and Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy. I know my good friend Ritu (whose birthday is tomorrow, by the way) will never forgive me and probably disown me for not suggesting the 1995 six-part mini-series starring the one and only Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. Yes, it is absolutely brilliant and is for both die-hard P&P and Colin Firth fans, BUT, it is a serious commitment. Who has 5 hours to spare? (o.k. I admit, I've watched it twice!)

In Pride and Prejudice (2005), Knightley and Macfadyen generate a substantial amount of romantic tension. Macfadyen's restraint is unnerving while his vulnerability is gut wrenching. Pride and Prejudice (2005) is a feel-good romantic movie. I highly recommend it!