10 Albums that Rocked My World

1. Simon & Garfunkel- Live at Central Park

I listened to this tape so much that I believe it was worn out in places. Art Garfunkel’s vocals on this album are head and shoulders above Paul Simon’s; so much so that it took me a long time to listen to a Paul Simon solo album because I was sure Garfunkel was the superior artist. Thank goodness I eventually got over that hump.


2. Into the Woods Original Broadway Soundtrack

This was my gateway drug into the world of both Sondheim and musical recordings in general. I believe this was the first CD I ever purchased.


3. Bob Dylan- Highway 61 Revisited

Speaking of gateway drugs, this was my first Bob Dylan album and probably still remains my favorite. “Desolation Row” is in my top 5 favorite songs of all time. And oddly enough, my husband and I danced to “Like a Rolling Stone” at our wedding.


4. Bob Dylan- Time Out of Mind

The eerie production style and the gravelly voice of an older Bob Dylan, plus the realization that he had just been near death, makes this the closest to an “end of life” Dylan album. “Not Dark Yet” is an incredible song.


5. Paul Simon- Graceland

The first solo Simon album I allowed myself to get into, and I’m so glad that I did. As much as I love so many songs on the album (“Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes”, “Graceland”), I eventually embraced “You Can Call Me Al” as a favorite, despite first convincing myself that it couldn’t be my favorite since it was the only song I remembered getting heavy radio play and having a recognizable video.


6. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

This was my first hip-hop album, and one I purchased on a whim, not being sure if I would like anything on it. It was a great chance and is still one of my favorite albums. “Zion” is one of the most beautiful songs about motherhood I’ve ever heard.


7. Steven Curtis Chapman- Signs of Life

“Let Us Pray” was the first “Christian” song I heard on a “Christian” radio station that made me stop and say, “This can’t be Christian music. This is good,” which marked the beginning of my walls of prejudice toward Christian music breaking down. Of all the Chapman albums I own, I think this is the most solid from start to finish.


8. Rich Mullins- A Liturgy, A Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band

As a Christian who has always attended a heavily liturgical church, it was a revelation for me to see that someone in the world of less traditional music could appreciate the poetic beauty of a liturgy. Some songs in the “Legacy” portion of the album are fairly weak, but the starkly personal “Hold Me, Jesus” more than makes up for any weak links.


9. Jeff Buckley- Grace

Funny that Jeff Buckley would follow Rich Mullins, as they’re both musicians that were lost to the world at too young an age.
Jeff Buckley plays his voice like an instrument on this album. There is such variation between the tones of these songs, from the soft and pleading, “Lilac Wine” to the angry “Eternal Life” and the angry guitar work that echos Buckley’s howling screams. His unbelievably expressive voice makes this one of my “Don’t want to live without” albums.


10. Dusty Springfield- Dusty in Memphis

I’ve been prejudiced toward singer-songwriters from the young age when I realized that Paul Simon is actually artistically superior to Art Garfunkel. But Dusty Springfield is one of the few artists who I’ve found expresses words that she did not write as if they were coming from her own soul. Every heart-felt word of this album feels true. “Just One Smile”, about an abused woman sharing why she still loves her man, is belted with such raw, pleading honesty that it’s almost painful to hear.


Honorable Mention:


The White Stripes- Elephant

Counting Crows- August and Everything After (This album was the soundtrack of the 2 year long-distance portion of my relationship with my husband)

Loretta Lynn- Van Lear Rose

Jonny Lang- Wander This World

City of Angels- Original Broadway Soundtrack (Not to be mistaken with the movie soundtrack)

Joni Mitchell- Blue

Kanye West- College Dropout

Lyle Lovett- Live in Texas

9 movies that made me sob like a neglected toddler

I don’t consider myself a movie weeper. I’ll tear up often but don’t break down and sob at very many movies. So I’ve pulled together the list of the movies that made me fall apart and bawl.

Warning, partial spoilers ahead, so proceed with caution.


Copland
I don’t think I’ve ever sobbed as hard in a theatre as I did watching this movie. The loss that Freddy suffers at the climax of the film and the sensory way that it is portrayed to the audience just about killed me. It’s not a sad tragic movie, but something in that moment really hit me.

Titanic
Yes, yes, I cried at Titanic. Probably both times I saw it in the theatre. But my tears were dry in time that I really hoped old Rose would slip off the ship and follow the Heart of the Ocean to the depths.

Ed Wood
Okay, this is a weird one, I admit. Bela Lugosi’s death came at a time when he was really alone in the world and something about seeing a life end in such isolation was heart-wrenching. See also: The Killer

Dancer in the Dark
Here’s an example of a movie that ended and left me sobbing in the dark for many minutes before I could move. This is a very powerful movie that somehow doesn’t feel as dark as it logically should. Maybe it’s the musical aspect that makes it feel more hopeful than it really is.

American History X
This is another movie that left me sobbing in the dark after it had ended. Seeing tragedy strike wasn’t the hard part, it was seeing the person left behind and the guilt he would have on his head for the rest of his life.

Sophie’s Choice
This movie should be its own category of sad. Like a Level 5 hurricane or something. We got this from Netflix and it sat for ages before we watched it, in no small part because we both knew what was in store for us. We finally half-heartedly watched it one night just for the sake of getting it back in the mail. My husband was doing work on the computer and I was folding laundry. Neither of us was paying very much attention to the movie. But at the crux of the film we both stopped dead in our tracks and gave Meryl Streep our full attention. It wasn’t even a sobbing moment; the tears just started streaming down my face. That situation was about the saddest thing I could ever imagine, and Meryl’s portrayal of that moment was so realistic that I felt the horror along with her.

Big Fish
This is a rare example of a movie that made me cry happy tears. The ending was so perfect and poetic that I was moved to tears while still smiling.

The Piano
I haven’t seen this movie since the first time I watched it, so it very well may have little to no affect on me now. When I watched it I was in my late teens and it was probably three o’clock in the morning, so exhaustion and hormones may have had a role in how much I cried at this movie. This is similar to my Cop Land bawl fest, being strongly affected by a character experiencing a loss of something very crucial to his or her life or personal identity. And in both cases, it all turns out fine in the end.

The Killer
This is another atypical movie to make a person cry. The climax fight in this movie is filled with the usual John Woo symbols and fighting style, but we see the desolation of two characters as the fight is at its close and it is heartbreaking.


Honorable Mention: Tears of Endearment, The Remains of the Day, Il Postino, Splendor in the Grass


Do the movies on my list makes me certifiably weepy? Which tearjerkers have moved you?

Scene: The Ballroom

I have given in to peer pressure and put this together. I'm not sure why iTunes seems to choose several songs from the same albums/artists, but so it goes.

So, here's the rules.

Guidelines:
1. Put your iTunes on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your next answer.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how outrageous it sounds!

IF SOMEONE SAYS, “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
American Pie- The Kings Singers

This'll be the day that I die? Am I that melodramatic?

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
The Company Way- How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Soundtrack

Ha! I'm not sure what company that would be, but ok.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Class- Chicago Soundtrack

Very true. My husband is nothing but class.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Just the Way You Are- Billy Joel

Aww, sweet!

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Rainy Day Women #12 and 35- Bob Dylan

HAHAHAHA!!! Everybody must get stoned? Hmm... My iTunes doesn't seem to know me at all.

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
If I Ever Lose My Faith in You- Sting

Wow, my friends hold a lot of stock in what I do if there would be nothing left for them to do if they'd lost faith in me.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OFTEN?
Bleeders- The Wallflowers

Actually, (and this is not a joke) I just had a conversation with my daughter about how physicians used to think that "bleeding" people would heal all manner of problems, so this is sort of true, at least this week-end.

WHAT IS 2+2?
Layla- Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton + passion for his friend's wife Pattie Boyd = Layla would be more accurate.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Walking Away- Jonny Lang

iTunes is failing me again. I don't want to break up with her at all.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
I Pity the Poor Immigrant- Bob Dylan

YES. Awesome.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Love From a Heart of Gold- How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Soundtrack

Aww! That's more like it, iTunes!

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Mother- Tori Amos

Ok, now it's getting creepy.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Hush, Little Baby, Don’t Say a Word- The Kings Singers

Yes, on occasion hushing up is good.

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) – Mika

BWAHAHAHA!

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Typical Situation- Dave Matthews

If my husband had had his way, yes, most likely.

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
It’s Still Rock & Roll To Me- Billy Joel

Hrm.. Party at Rachel's funeral, perhaps?

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
This- Lisa Loeb

I do have a wide variety of interests, I suppose.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
All I Care About- Chicago Soundtrack

Aww!

WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
When I Look at the World- U2

iTunes is off again, unless it's referring to the "without you it's no use" lyric.

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
There You Are- Edwin Drood

At the hands of an 18th century vaudevillian troupe, apparently.

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Welcome To Our World- Chris Rice

I think iTunes read this one as "THE ONE THING YOU'D NEVER REGRET", since the birth of Christ could not possibly be less regrettable.

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Love Me Tender- Elvis Presley

Overearnestness is often amusing...

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Pebble Beach- Wynton Marsalis

I am occasionally sad if instrumental music comes up on my iPod when I'm in a singalong mood.

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Wake Up, Mr West- Kanye West

Yikes, if I wasn't already married this would be ominous.

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
So Right- Dave Matthews

I fear success? Wow, thanks, iTunes therapist!

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Someday Baby- Bob Dylan

Oh, this is just not nice. This is because of the sarcastic therapist comment, isn't it?

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Have You Seen Me Lately- Counting Crows

Be out and about more? Or count more crows?

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Applause and Closing Fanfare- Ella Fitzgerald

No, applause is not hurtful for a theatre girl at all. Closing fanfare isn't so bad either. I suppose I would feel hurt by Closing Fanfare if I were at an Ella Fitzgerald concert, though.

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Scene: The Ballroom- The Secret Garden

AMAZING. Only the dorkiest of the theatre dorks actually import 51 second scenes onto their iPods.

9 Favorite Best Picture Losers

Just in case the previous list of favorite Best Picture Winners wasn’t difficult enough, I expanded my options by 400% for this list to make it even more heartwrenching. I do not claim to have seen all or even most of the nominees for Best Picture (or winners, for that matter), but here is my completely subjective list of favorites anyway. As with the Best Picture Winners, I limited myself to one choice per decade with only one exception that begged for a tie.

Rachel’s Nine Favorite Best Picture Losers

1) Stage Door (1937)

I haven’t seen this movie in ages, but it was so creepy and over the top that it has stayed with me, including a few lines about calla lilies that I must quote verbatim every time anyone mentions the flowers. I recently read the script for the play and found that the movie retained almost nothing from the play beyond the title.

Honorable Mention: None, because I could not get over the fact that State Fair was nominated for Best Picture. State Fair!?! Terrible movie, and I have a very high threshold for cheesy musicals. I could name a dozen movies from the 30s that I prefer to State Fair.

2) The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Popular critical opinion overwhelmingly goes with Citizen Kane here, but I beg to differ. I’m not a technical cinephile and my opinion is generally more influenced by characters and dialogue than camerawork, so the poignant farce The Philadelphia Story overrules the technically brilliant Citizen Kane in my book. That said, this is only my second favorite movie with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, but I’ll get to the other one in a different post.

Honorable Mention: The Maltese Falcon, a truly great noir, and Citizen Kane, because it is Citizen Kane, after all. It may seem less technically impressive to me since I saw films that liberally borrowed from Orson Welles before I saw anything by Welles.

3) Auntie Mame (1950)

This is when it starts getting really hard to choose just one. Auntie Mame is very frequently ridiculous, but the one woman hurricane that Rosalind Russell puts forth is comically impeccable as well as tender and vulnerable.

Honorable Mention: Sunset Boulevard, 12 Angry Men, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (see aforementioned cheesy musical comment)

4) Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Intimate and cringingly painful, the performances in this movie are all stellar. This is the only film that received an acting nomination for every credited member of the cast. I’ve never seen A Man for All Seasons, but I would be shocked if it could convince me that Virginia Woolf was not robbed of the Best Picture Oscar.

Honorable Mention: The Lion in Winter, Bonnie and Clyde

5) Chinatown (1972)

I’m a sucker for Film Noir, and Chinatown does noir better than anyone since Huston and Bogart, and hasn’t been topped by anyone since (with apologies to Veronica Mars, L.A. Confidential, and Brick).

Honorable Mention: A Clockwork Orange, Dog Day Afternoon, Cabaret

6) Tie: Raging Bull (1980), Hannah and her Sisters (1986)

I had to allow for a tie in this one instance. Raging Bull was so much better than Ordinary People (which was an excellent character piece but not a solid film as a whole) that its loss of the Oscar almost feels like a practical joke. Unlike Taxi Driver, another much-lauded DeNiro film, Raging Bull has held up very well and is still a powerful and heartbreaking story.

Hannah and her Sisters is not a better film than Platoon and rightfully lost the Oscar, but I have a softer spot in my heart for it than I do for Raging Bull, so both must be included. Hannah and her Sisters is a mess of largely unsympathetic characters that somehow weaves together beautifully, and is in my opinion, Woody Allen’s best film.

Honorable Mention: Tootsie, The Color Purple

7) Pulp Fiction (1995)

The 90s is the hardest decade for me to narrow down. It could be because I’ve seen all but 3 of the nominees for Best Picture (okay, 3 ½, since I could not for the life of me stay awake for the entirety of The Thin Red Line) and generally enjoyed nearly all of them. But, like Raging Bull, Pulp Fiction is a nearly infinitely better film than the movie that took home the Oscar, Forrest Gump. The much lauded non-linear structure had been done before Tarantino, most notably in Kubrick’s The Killing, but Pulp Fiction made the unique structure feel fresher and hipper than ever before, even outdoing his own Reservoir Dogs. Pulp Fiction changed the future of filmmaking while Forrest Gump has largely been forgotten.

Honorable Mention: Babe, which was very nearly my choice since I have a deep and abiding love for that pig; The Shawshank Redemption, Fargo, L.A. Confidential.

8) Lost in Translation (2006)

It deservedly lost the Oscar to the Lord of the Rings juggernaut, but Lost in Translation is a fantastic small film that paints a vivid and realistic picture of a short period of time and a connection between two people. This is a rare movie of which I remember very little of what actually happens, but very strongly remember the characters and the emotions the film evoked.

Honorable Mention: In the Bedroom; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Moulin Rouge!

Disagree? Which unrewarded gem did I miss that you feel needs to have someone speak up on its behalf?

8 Favorite Best Picture Winners

It being awards season, I’m starting off with an old fashioned meaningless List. I have limited myself to one Best Picture winner per decade, which was excruciating but necessary.

Rachel’s Eight Favorite Best Picture Winners

1) It Happened One Night (1934)

Great mad-cap romantic comedy well before madcap romantic comedies were a dime a dozen. Featuring the never-more-charming Clark Gable, and possibly the original Manic Pixie Dreamgirl (TM AVClub) Ellie Andrews.

Honorable Mention: Gone With the Wind

2) Casablanca (1941)

The 40s being the decade in which I’ve seen the fewest number of Best Picture winners, Casablanca easily wins my favorite of the decade.

Honorable Mention: Rebecca, which feels nothing like a Hitchcock. I would love to know what his original film would have been like pre-studio tampering.

3) All About Eve (1950)

Too many good things cannot be said about this movie. The characters are brilliant and the dialogue still snaps. Films with multiple truly great roles for women come along far too infrequently.

Honorable Mention: On the Waterfront, a movie that redefined how actors act, and An American in Paris, on the sheer basis of the ballet sequence, which could be on a nonstop loop in the background of my life for days on end before I would get tired of it.

4) The Apartment (1960)

There is nothing epic or grand in this movie at all, but there are no lines out of place or character notes that don’t ring true. The modern crop of showy spectacle Best Pictures contenders could watch and take notes.

Honorable Mention: Midnight Cowboy. Despite its dated feel now, the relationship between the two lead characters remains touching and haunting.

5) The Godfather Part II (1972)

A movie with a ridiculously great script. The dovetailing between the stories of two Corleone is exquisite and seems almost too good to be true.

Additional note: When compiling this list I thought, “What? Chinatown did not win Best Picture?” and was about to throw a very belated fit, until I realized that it was in contention in 1972 as well. Very, very tough call, but the Oscar went to the right film.

Honorable Mention: The Godfather, Annie Hall

6) Platoon (1986)

On rewatching, this is an uglier and harder movie than I had remembered, but just as powerful. Although after excessive amounts of Tropic Thunder I wonder if I’ll ever be able to view the final shot of Willem Dafoe the same way.

Honorable Mention: Amadeus, which I haven’t seen in possibly a full decade but can still recall scene by scene. Salieri breaks my heart.

7) The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

A rare perfectly crafted thriller that had most if not everyone actually rooting for a serial killer.

Honorable Mention: Braveheart. Not a movie that will go down as a cinematic masterpiece, but a movie that I am a sucker for nonetheless. As much as I roll my eyes at many moments throughout the film, I am always especially moved by Robert the Bruce’s final speech to his father.

8) The Departed (2006)

I am a sucker for messy endings. Not sad endings per se, just messy realistic ones. See also my love of About Schmidt over As Good as it Gets.

Honorable Mention: Return of the King, which is included on the assumption that it was awarded a Best Picture for the sake of all three movies.