Let's Get Out of Here Before One of Them Kills Guy!

8/16/2016 04:06:00 PM Lexie Dunne 4 Comments

Greetings, all!

I’m lazy and I don’t feel like coming up with an official blog post today. Right now, the Twittersphere is going nuts naming Seven Faves. Seven favorite movies, TV shows, series, episodes, seven first jobs, etc. etc. I participated in movies because I’m super-cool like that, and also I’m aware that a lot of people would consider my taste basic or silly. Yet I can’t bring myself to care. So the movies I listed:

1) Legally Blonde

In college, I had two majors: German and Video Production. Not a whole lot of crossover there, except for my European Film class (I wrote about The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and I still have a lot of feelings about German expressionistic film that I’m willing to unload on anybody equally willing to listen), and one of the hallmarks of being a video major was lying about all of the movies I’ve seen and haven’t seen. I can talk intelligently about so many movies I’ve never watched because they’re about subjects that never interested me (primarily: men, angry men, violent men, racism, sexism, men). So it used to be that I’d lie about my favorite movies and never say what my true favorite movie is. HOWEVER, those days are over, and it is indeed Legally Blonde and will likely remain Legally Blonde for a long, long time.

2) Ocean’s Eleven

Give me a good heist movie any day, and this one is top-notch, in my book. I don’t think either of the follow-ups worked just because they were trying to replicate a once-in-a-lifetime formula of that cheesy glamour that Vegas provides. I love every single character in this movie, I love the montages and the music, and how it’s not an action movie. A lot of movies want to put you right in the middle of the action and keep your heart beating, but the cinematography deliberately takes a step back and keeps you out of the protagonist’s shoes. It’s an excellent choice for characters that pull a heist in the film because it avoids the narrative cheating that comes along with a lot of plot twists. These characters are conmen. We see them when they aren’t being observed, but there’s enough of a distance that it doesn’t feel like we were lied to, also.

Needs more women. THANKFULLY WE’RE GETTING A FEMALE REBOOT.

3) Shawshank Redemption

My next door neighbor, the first friend I made when my family moved during my high school years, adored this movie and I watched it with her a few times. It’s only in the past five years moved onto my all-time favorites list. I like how the prison itself is a character in the film. And I love Morgan Freeman’s entire character arc and the use of the voice over.

Needs more women.

4) Mulan

We quote Mushu DAILY.

5) Jupiter Ascending

I don’t care if you don’t like this movie. I love this movie. I went to see it by myself in theaters while I was struggling with anxiety over SUPERVILLAINS ANONYMOUS (I’d never written a direct sequel before, it was a book that was almost an entirely new genre from SUPERHEROES ANONYMOUS, there were a lot of big pay-offs I wasn’t sure I was equipped to handle). And for over two hours, in that theater, I saw a movie that had been made precisely for me. It was like every book I’ve ever wanted to write, come to life. It had the kickass heroine who was allowed to fail, it had wonder and a gorgeous aesthetic, and a battle that the main character could fight without being overwhelmed. A lot of people asked “Is this how teen boys feel when they see action movies?” Because that was how I felt, for the first time. This was a movie for me.

And I went home from that movie, sat down at my computer, and beat the ever-loving tar out of my writer’s block. That movie and the feelings it inspired got me through the rest of that damn book.

6) Galaxy Quest

We ALSO quote this movie daily. It is my favorite Star Trek movie.

7) Ghostbusters (2016)

I included this one on the list to piss everybody off, but it’s true. I like the older Ghostbusters, but there’s some seriously gross shit in that film that turns my stomach. This, however, was a movie I grinned all the way through. I like the characters, I love the dialogue, there was just the right amount of nostalgia, and most importantly: this movie is fun without dragging me down with other problems, and that’s really all I need from a film.

So that's my list. I guess this is the part where I say "Come at me, bro." But you're not gonna change my mind so maybe go read a book instead. And review it! Because authors like nice things like food and shelter.

Next week I've got an interview with Beth Cato and maybe something about my possible trip to Kansas City this weekend! Until then, stay sexy!

Lexie