Elizabethtown

This 2005 movie was written and directed by Cameron Crowe and stars Orlando Bloom and Kristen Dunst. It is a movie about a son who becomes very involved in his job working for a Nike like shoe corporation, to the detriment of being with his family, inventing the next big shoe, only to create a huge failure, costing the company billions of dollars. He ends up being fired from his job and goes home and thinks of committing suicide but before he can go through with it, gets a call from his sister that his Dad has died.

He must make a trip back to Elizabethtown, Kentucky to retrieve the body for his family but finds this to be very difficult as he finds that his father is a local hero in the town. On the flight out there, he meets a quirky flight attendant, who realizes that he is on his way back to a funeral. They connect on the flight and she gives him her phone number. He calls her and they meet up several times, all while he is learning about the great man that his father really was.

Ultimately she convinces him to take a road trip with his Father's ashes and the father and son bond as they should have when the father was alive. And at the end, he also realizes he has fallen for the girl.

Cameron Crowe is married to Nancy Wilson of the band Heart. The soundtracks to his movies are VERY important to him. This moves is no different. In fact, there are two soundtracks to the movie. Enjoy this movie clip set to the song Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley..

Sex and the City-Miranda's Mother Dies

This series was one of my favorites. I often got together with girlfriends to watch it together on Sunday nights.

This episode really touched me because it made me realize that family is not just your biological loved ones. Family is the friends who surround, support, and care for you every day. Sometimes friends can be the sister that you never had (as is my case). Friends are there for you in good times and bad and love you no matter what

I have recently had the chance to reconnect with some of my very good friends and it has made me realize that they too are my family. Thank you for being you and being there for me.

Watch this episode and see how a reminder how friends can be your family too (this includes the special men in our life as well)...

The Breakfast Club

This movie came out in 1985 and is about five high school students who have to go to a day of detention on a Saturday. They start the day feeling that they have nothing in common, however, they end it with a better understanding of themselves and each other. They were five strangers with nothing in common but each other (tag line).

This movie contains the actors known as the Brat Pack (see earlier post for further information). That made this movie a must see in the 80's. This was the first time my parents actually forbid me from seeing a movie because they had heard that there was drug use and they didn't want to see their little girl led down the wrong path. They made a point of singling this movie out because they knew, because of the Brat Pack, I would want to see it. To make a long story short, of course I did go see it at the first chance possible (although I confessed as soon as I got home).

This movie has been seen by a lot of people and everyone still remembers and loves to repeat what is one of the greatest cinematic lines in all history:

Dear Mr. Vernon, We accept the fact that we had to do a whole Saturday of detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But we think you're are crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us...in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain... an athlete... and a basket case...and a princess...and a criminal...Does that answer your question?...Sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club.

Here is a movie clip played to the hit song from the soundtrack Don't you forget about by Simple Minds

House

I have been watching House for about two seasons now. It is not normally an emotional show, it is usually more on the intriguing side. However, last season's finale (season four) was a real tearjerker.

The death of the character Amanda ( a nemesis for House and a live in girlfriend to Wilson) was played out very well. House tried to do everything he could to save Amanda, including putting his own life at risk, with no success. Wilson had to come to terms with not only the death of his girlfriend but feeling that House was ultimately responsible for her death.

The strain the death put on the relationship between these two best friends appeared to be irreparable. By the end of the show, Wilson quit working at the hospital and House was left to work there for the first time without his only friend.

The repairing of the relationship of these two friends has just started and taken some interesting turns with the start of season five. We can only watch and see where it goes.

Here is the season four finale played to a song called Breathe in, Breathe out by Matt Kearney.

St. Elmo's Fire

This 1985 movie is about seven friends who have just graduated from college and are struggling with issues that they are trying to overcome to become happy, successful adults.The tag line to the movie is "They thought they would be friends forever but forever couldn't last." They face love, heartbreak, obsessions, finding/losing employment, discovering the meaning of life, living on the edge, betrayal, and the ultimate test of friendship and love.

This movie stars the young group of actors that became known as the Brat Pack. The Brat Pack is a group of actors that starred in numerous combinations of 80's movies. The Brat Pack includes Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Andrew McCarthy, and Molly Ringwald (although she was not in this movie). Mare Winningham is the seventh star in this movie but she was never really associated with the Brat Pack.

The following is a movie clip containing The Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire



**For fun, click on the IMDB page and type in St. Elmo's Fire and read all the quotes from the movie-"It ain't a party until something gets broken"

Grey's Anatomy-Chasing Cars

Here is the video from Snow Patrol with their huge hit Chasing Cars set to scenes from the TV series Grey's Anatomy. It shows some of the most powerful scenes from early Grey's shows that are what caused us fans to fall in love with the show.

As for the song, I am never ever to hear it without feeling emotional. I started listening to Snow Patrol because of this song and they are now one of my favorite bands. I was lucky enough to see them in concert last year and they put on a fabulous show. When they played this song, the whole arena lit up with cell phones and lighters.

Enjoy the video

Wicker Park

This 2004 film stars Josh Hartnett (Matt), Diane Kruger (Lisa), and Rose Byrne (Alex/Lisa). Matt and Lisa fall in love and have a passionate affair while Alex looks longingly on, seething with jealousy. All is going well with the couple until Matt asks Lisa to move in with him and she mysteriously disappears, leaving no details or clues as to what happened.

Fast forward two years with all characters living their lives, but not forgetting the passion that once existed. Matt thinks he sees Lisa in a restaurant and begins a relentless search for the love of his life. Alex uses this as an opportunity to insert herself into his quest by trying to pretend that she is the Lisa that Matt is looking for.

There are many twists and turns which I don't want to give away as it would spoil the plot for the movie for anyone who has not seen it. I will let you know that it wraps up in a unique and interesting way that makes this movie worth seeing.

Besides the story and the acting, one of the best things about this movie is the soundtrack. It has a lot of alternative music that really fits into the story. It has songs by Snow Patrol, Mazzy Star, Aqualong, and Coldplay to name a few. I loved it so much I actually went out and bought the soundtrack.

Please enjoy the following movie slide show with a song from Coldplay (The Scientist)that was in the movie. I will leave you with this thought as you watch

PASSION NEVER DIES (tag line)

Six Feet Under Series Finale

I watched this series from the first episode to the last. I looked forward to watching it every week. When creator Alan Ball decided it was time to wrap the series up after five seasons, I was sad to see that it was coming to a close but also realize all good things must end.

And on that note, what a finale it was. I have NEVER seen such a perfectly done series finale. Sia's song Breathe me was a perfect haunting choice of a song to use as we watch the playing out of all of the characters' journeys through life to their ultimate death (which is important as the series was set in a funeral home).

I loved that we saw everything through Claire's eyes. Claire is terrified of making a major change in her life. Her brother Nate (who died in an earlier episode) comes to her with words to help her make her decision. He tells her "Do you wanna know a secret? I spent my whole life being scared. Scared of not being ready and not being right and not being who I should be." Armed with these words of wisdom, Claire decides to leave home and follow her dreams so as not to make the same mistakes Nate did.

We see the final transformation of Claire becoming a woman as she says her goodbyes to her family. She tells her mother "Thank you for everything, and to think you've given me life. Her mother, not only speaking to Claire but to the whole family states "You gave me life." And with goodbyes said, Claire drives off...

Here is the final scene to the series finale

JAKE RYAN

This goes out to all you Sixteen Candle fans. This movie came out in 1984 but is still a classic today.

I remember having all my girlfriends at my house and we would watch this movie over and over. Needless to say Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling) was my and a lot of the other girls first crush. One of my favorite lines comes during the father/daughter talk when she is crying over her crush. He says to her "That's why they call them crushes. If they were easy, they would call them something else."

We were so in love with Jake that we tried to take his picture on the TV so we could hang the picture in our lockers (unfortunately, the flash prevented this). We all dreamed that the ending would happen to all of us or at the very least one of us.

Happy Birthday Samantha. Make a wish,

Well, it already came true.

Enjoy Jake and Sixteen Candles

Dr. Green returns

I watched ER last night in anticipation of the long awaited return of Dr. Green. I was incredibly disappointed. He was one of my favorite characters and I was expecting a much more moving story line.

This did however lead me to go back and watch the scene when Dr. Green left the series. I thought his death was handled very well. I love the version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow that was played. On an interesting yet sad note, the man that sang the song was Hawaiian and played a ukulele. He recorded the song but unfortunately passed away before it became a hit (making this version even more poignant).

Tune in for this moving goodbye to a beloved character...

Great clip with edgy song for The Air I Breathe

Here is a great clip from the movie-the song is not on the soundtrack but is still great

The Air I Breathe

My first favorite is a new film that came out late 2007. It is called The Air I Breathe and it is directed by Jieho Lee who also co-wrote with Bob DeRosa. At first, this does not come across as what one would call a typical chick flick. However, after seeing the whole movie, I believe that you will find it at least in tho category of a tearjerker if not as a chick flick. This movie tells the story of four individuals experiencing different emotions; happiness, pleasure, sorrow, and love and the impact of these emotions on the living of their lives. It stars an excellent cast including Forest Whitaker, Kevin Bacon, Brendan Fraser, Andy Garcia, and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

I found this movie to be very touching and emotional. I thought that Forest, Brendan, and Kevin did an outstanding job of acting. Each of their stories touched me in a unique way that left me thinking long after their story was over. This movie makes you think about these common emotions mention in a whole new light. I love the score to the stories and one song in particular Tomorrow (which I will write about in another post).

I belong to Netflix and this is where I discovered the film (it is also on sale at Amazon). Don't let the bad reviews you may come across deter you from watching this film. It really is a must see.

I will leave you with the tag line from the movie to think about


SOMETIMES THE THINGS WE CAN'T CHANGE END UP CHANGING US...