Sunday Night is Movie Night

When your handyman has a degree in Philosophy and listens to NPR, you just know that those small jobs like leveling a door or replacing a floorboard are going to take a little extra time. There’s a lot of discourse involved, although rarely about the projects themselves.

I can’t remember whether he was fixing our shower door or the lattice under the porch, but during a recent visit, Griff challenged me to send him a list of my top 20 movies.

Always looking for new ways to waste time, I got right on it. It’s a tougher task than you’d think. The first five or ten are effortless, but when you get to 19 and 20, sometimes you have some heavy decisions to make. Does Godfather need to be on this list? If so, what needs to come off to make room?

We watched 12 Angry Men last night and, because of the elegance, the simplicity, and the brilliant way characters were developed (in a single room, no less) I had to revisit my list. I’m switching out The Usual Suspects, which I watched recently and mostly slept through.

Plus, who doesn’t love a movie that takes place in real time?

New list:
(in no particular order)

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Manhattan
Juno
Little Miss Sunshine
Crash
Lost In Translation
12 Angry Men
‘Night Mother
A Beautiful Mind
Mystic River
American Beauty
Donnie Darko
Legally Blond
Heathers
Stop Making Sense
Annie Hall
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Memento
Sex, Lies and Videotape
Raising Arizona

Anybody else up for this challenge? Anyone? Anyone? ...Bueller?