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        While Shari and I do not get to the movies that often, we do enjoy curling up to a good video or DVD.  With the wonderful picture quality and longevity of DVD disks, I have been slowly building my collection.  Here are some of my current favorites. 

Grandma's Boy (2005)

                            Redifines "stoner" humor.  Rambling and basically pointless, but lots of fun. 

LOST Series (2005)

                            Shari and I are currently catching up on the 1st Season of Lost.  Didn't think I'd like it at first,  but immediately got hooked.  Great acting and strong character development.  This series is about 50% SURVIVOR and 50% Twilight Zone. The NUMBERS episode was especially enthralling. 

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

        This is based on a Stephen King short story Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.  Tim Robbins plays Andy Dufrain, a lawyer accused of murdering his unfaithful wife and her lover in the 1930's.  He is sent to life in prison  at Shawshank Prison, and forced to fight for survival, eventually making friends with Red, played by Morgan Freeman.  The movie has some violent moments, but is more about friendship, determination, and character than just a typical "prison movie."  The acting of both Robbins and Freeman are phenomenal, and their chemistry of friendship is overwhelming.

Kill Bill, Volumes I and II (2003, 2004)

     Quinten Tarantino's latest work is an epic tale of revenge.  Many fans balked at the movie being split, but then, the theatres would never have shown a massive 4-hour production.   Uma Thurman plays "The Bride", a former member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad.  She leaves the squad to find a normal life, but is tracked down on her wedding day by her former boss, "Bill", and her squad members.  They kill everyone in the church and leave her for dead.  She survives in a coma for 4 years.  When she awakes, she vows revenge on all of them, taking us on a wild ride of kung-fu, samurai swords, and betrayal.  David Carradine plays an outstandingly cunning Bill,  and Uma Thurman brings humanity, strength, and  palpable emotion to The Bride.  Daryl Hannah plays the deliciously heartless one-eyed Elle Driver, and Lucy Liu plays the cold, calculating O-Ren Ishii Japanese mafia leader.  Sonny Chiba appears as Hattori Hanzo, a legendary swordmaker who breaks his oath to forge a new sword for The Bride.  Music has always been a key element of Tarantino's work, and the soundtracks overflow with haunting pieces, especially Nancy Sinatra's version of Bang, Bang, My Baby Shot Me Down, Shivaree's Goodnight Moon, and works by the Japanese girl band, The 5, 6, 7, and 8s.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

     This Quinten Tarantino piece is very violent, but the unique characters and engaging dialogue make this a classic.  Tarantino puts you on the edge of an "alternate reality", almost in a twilight zone.  It is a world that is just a bit more dramatic and violent than ours.  John Travolta redeems himself after too many "Look Who's Talking" movies.  Everyone else is equally riveting, from Samuel L. Jackson the repentant hit man, to the flirtatious Uma Thurman, to the ever-smooth Harvey Keitel, to boxing champ Bruce Willis.  The flash forwards and flashbacks will confuse some, but the intertwining story is genius, and the camerawork exquisite.  The dialogue is deep and intelligent, with many memorable lines.  Also a soundtrack worth having.

Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)     

   A tribute to the 70's, this SNL-style comedy is just plain fun.  The sketch comedy is hysterical, but the real treat is the feature movie...Fistful of Yen.  It is a hilarious kung-fu spoof.  It is a great guy's night drinking movie not to be missed.  Anything but politically correct, this material made a foundation for modern sketch comedy, and even 20 years later, it is still damn funny.

The Crow (1994)

     Brandon Lee's last movie, he tragically died during filming.  He plays Eric Draven, a man killed, and his fiancée raped and murdered by a soulless gang of criminals.  He rises from the grave a year later, with an enigmatic  crow as his guide, as a nearly-invincible specter to exact revenge on his killers.  His scarred soul is still a glimmer of hope in the dirty, wet, decayed urban nightmare of a city.  While a bit violent, you will never see violence so justified for the horrors he withstood.

Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Fellowship of the Rings, The Two Towers, The Return of the King) (2001, 2002, 2003)

   One of the best adaptations ever of any book to film, this saga is wonderfully faithful to the text and preserves the spirit of all three books in J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy.  The fantasy creatures are perfectly mixed with the human actors, creating a living world of Middle Earth.  The love story between Aragon, Eowyn, and Arwen is fleshed out much more passionately than in print.  Director Peter Jackson took creative liberties that fit beautifully with the text, such as shortening the many years that pass between Bilbo's birthday celebration and Frodo's embarkation on his quest.  The battle scenes are amazing.  We can all only hope Jackson is soon picked up to work his same magic with the prequal to this trilogy...The Hobbit.

Under a Tuscan Sun (2003)

     This movie is 1 part love story, 2 parts soul searching, and 1 part travel advertisement for Italy.  Diane Lane plays a recently-divorced book critic who is given a vacation to Italy by her friends.  While there, she impulsively buys a villa in Tuscany.  Her efforts to restore the villa lead to laughs and tears as she learns to love and live again.  In the end, she will find herself with everything she ever wished for, but nothing the way she expected.  The cinematography of the Italian countryside is breathtaking.  A very good date movie.

Good Will Hunting (1997)

   The first of the Matt Damon and Ben Affleck movies, before they became trendy pair.  Matt Damon  plays a well-read, but street-smart Boston youth, with an amazing head for logic and math.  When he gets into trouble, he must visit with psychologist Robbin Williams to address his personal issues of withdraw and evasion.  Minnie Driver plays his love interest, and Ben Affleck his ever-present friend who must finally push him away to allow him to move on.

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

        A firehouse favorite.  R. Lee Ermey as Gunnery Sgt. Hartman is every officer's hero.  This film embodies the harshness of the Vietnam experience not only on the homefront, but in the field.  Easily one of director Stanley Kubrick's best works, followed closely be The Shining and A Clockwork Orange.  There is plenty of quotable dialogue.  Matthew Modine as Private Joker and Adam Baldwin as Animal Mother are exceptional.