Since Happy Dance Fridays seem to be working, we now get Saturday at the Movies.

I happen to live, at present, literally a five minute walk from a mall with a multiplex in it. I rarely go. Not much into the broader comedies, science fiction or remakes of stuff I've already seen. They do say all things go in cycles, so until things cycle around again to sumptous period dramas (and by this I mean original stories rather than fictionalized biographies) I'll get most of my fix from DVDs. A few favorites to start us off.

Remains of the Day - I remember waking the day-sleeping friend who gave me this movie so that I could voice my opinion (being cagey here.) Love, love, love this and highly recommend the book by Kazuro Ishiguro as well. This film began my tradition of yelling at Emma Thompson as well as my mad passion for all things Merchant-Ivory.


Love Actually: I love pretty much everything from Working Title and this proves my favorites aren't all gloomy angstfests (only most of them.)This movie has it all; England. Christmas. Colin Firth. Dancing Hugh Grant. The beginning of my love of the genius that is Bill Nighy's acting. Liam Neeson nailing his performance to a fare-thee-well. Another chance to yell at Emma Thompson. A papier mache octopus in the back of a limo, and happy endings all around.


Saturday Night Fever: the heroine of my TT manuscript maintains this is the greatest dance movie ever made and I will not argue with her. (Besides, she'd hurt me.) From that beat and that strut to the final subway ride, this is a shatteringly real look into a character who has to come to terms with life and make hard choices and a portrait of a slice of NY. I was too young to see this in the theaters but successfully begged my parents for the soundtrack. Then when I caught the movie itself years later, oh my.


Annnd Lords of Flatbush, another story that couldn't take place anywhere but NY (do you see a theme here? You're a smart one.) Arguably a progenitor of the 70s obsession with the 50s. Henry Winkler as the Proto-Fonz, Sylvester Stallone, Perry King. Coming of age can hurt but be oh so sweet at the same time.