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December is the month of holidays – there’s Hanukkah, the first day of winter, Christmas, Kwanza and New Year’s Eve, but my favorite December holiday is my birthday. While some people might choose to begin playing down their birthday after something-something years, not me. In fact, here’s a little birthday fun: I’m going to list some of my favorite fun movies, and let’s see if you can guess my age.
“Love Actually” – Yes, it’s a Christmas film – actually, it’s my annual “watch while wrapping the gifts” movie – but you can watch it anytime of year. Who doesn’t love Hugh Grant as the dashing prime minister, and Andrew Lincoln’s unrequited love for Juliet? Each time I watch it, I identify with a different character, sometime for worse, but mostly for better.
“Better Off Dead” – John Cusack stars as sad high-schooler Laine Meyer, who’s obsessed with his girlfriend Beth. Diane Franklin is Monique, the neighboring French foreign exchange student, who’s attempting to escape the suffocating attentions of her host family’s son, Ricky.
“Goon” – It’s easy to write off this movie as trash – the filthy language is on overload – but I find the “misfit who finds his destiny” story to be sweet and disarming comedy. Sean William Scott plays Doug Glatt, a softie with a serious protective streak and a mean punch, who is tagged as an enforcer for a semi-pro hockey team after defending the honor of his brother.
“King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” – Is it because Charlie Hunnam is in the lead role as Arthur, a tough orphan who is raised in a brothel before he pulls Excalibur from the stone and learns of his royal destiny? Or perhaps it’s Jude Law as Arthur’s vicious uncle Vortigern, who would sacrifice anything for more power. Maybe it’s Guy Richie’s stylistic direction. Critics hated it, but not all of them – just check my Netflix watch history.
Scene from “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (Warner Bros. photo)
“Harry Potter and the …” – I love the entire Harry Potter series of films, top to bottom. In case you’re wondering, my favorite is “Prisoner of Azkaban,” with the introduction of both Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, and David Thewlis as Professor Lupin, two of Harry’s dad’s besties.
“Steel Magnolias” – This movie never ages nor tarnishes. A group of Southern women prepare for the wedding of Shelby and follow her through motherhood and beyond. No matter how many times I watch it, I will always root for Shelby, and cry at M’Lynn’s cemetery soliloquy.
“Serenity” – A final bequest to fans of the canceled TV series “Firefly,” writer/director Joss Whedon takes us on a space adventure with a Western bent. Captain Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) heads a rebellious crew who err on the shady side of business, but one of their own is relentlessly tracked by the Alliance. The only cure is a good-old fashioned showdown to out the truth and set them all free.
© 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
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