Friday's Top Five: Movies I Have Watched Repeatedly.

Hello faithful readers of five,

This is yet another catch-up post that I was going to originally blog about on October 18th until work interfered with my life, as it is apt to do.

This was a difficult topic to blog about because I had to narrow my choices down to five. I am that person who re-watches movies. I could probably make this a list of 12, and still struggle to narrow it down. I decided to use the "is-it-on-TV-a-lot-and-do-you-stop-every-time-to-watch-it" criteria. I eliminated Labyrinth and Willow primarily because they are never shown on TV. But that still leaves me with 10. Damn it.

To hell with it. It's my blog. So I will present to you my Top 10 movies I have watched repeatedly!

10) Pride & Prejudice (the 1995 BBC Version staring Colin Firth).

It's the movie that started my Austen-mania crazy. It is also the movie that introduced me to Colin Firth, for which I will be forever grateful. It also satisfies my inner-petticoat-fan girl. Plus any movie that showcases the Promenade dancing style is perfect. Simply perfect.

9) Tremors

This movie is hilarious. It is about underground worm-like monsters that try to swallow-up an isolated town. It stars Kevin Bacon and Reba. I could, and have, watched this repeatedly. It's low-budget but high entertainment. We shall never speak of the sequels, but this one is solid gold.

8) The Sandlot

You guys, this is a great movie. I have blogged about my love of this movie before, but I really cannot emphasise how much I love this movie. It is narrated in that nostalgic wonder-years type of format, but it is a great coming-of-age type of movie. It captures that innocent moment of youth that we all long to return to and hope our children experience. It's a baseball movie...but it is so much more than that. Even better if you can watch it on a big screen in the middle of a baseball field, like I did with Joanne and Steve that one perfect summer.

7) You've Got Mail/When Harry Met Sally

I know I am cheating by including two movies into one. But both these movies have two common links:

• they both star Meg Ryan
• they both perfectly capture the era of my youth

In WHMS, you have two people who meet at various stages of their life but do not hook up because the timing is not right. Then the timing becomes right, but that means a sacrifice of the safety of a platonic friendship.

In YGM, you have two people who meet on this new-found phenomenon called the internet, with it's dial-up-AOL-chat glory (hilarious in retrospect). In real life, they are "enemies" who become "frenimies" who become "friends" and finally a couple.

Both movies are like peeling back a layer of an onion to get to that magical romantic place.

6) The Breakfast Club

Don't you, forget about me.

Still relevant for today's youth. It's definitely showing it's age, but aren't we all? LOL.

5) Dirty Dancing

Nobody puts Baby in the corner. I watched this movie 100 times with my cousin Samantha and my aunt Shauna. When my cousin and I were younger, we would watch, rewind, watch again, rewind, watch again. And again. And again...

4) James Bond Movies (all of them)

My husband is a big James Bond fan. When I casually admitted last-year that I had never seen a Bond movie, my husband made sure to rectify that situation. So over a period of a few weeks, I watched ever single Bond movie in order that my husband preferred. I have become such a big fan. I engage in the debates over who the best Bond is, what is the best Bond movie, intro, girl, villain and so forth. No wonder this movie franchise will not die. Because it's good, yo!

3) Forrest Gump

This is one of my favourite all-time movies. I love the simplicity against the backdrop of a complex and fascinating history. A classic of our era.

2) A League of Their Own

I mad-love this movie. It is one of those movies that will appear on TV repeatedly every year over the summer. It is about women in baseball, but has depth and emotion. It's great, and has a killer good soundtrack too.

1) Love Actually

This is my husband and mine's favourite movie. We watch it every winter (and sometimes again in the Spring/Summer). We even had our wedding song based from this movie. It is "our" movie. I watch it when I am looking for hope in humanity, or want to spend a romantic evening with my husband. This is my favorite movie of all time. The intro above is food for thought.

Head over to A Warm Cup of Jo, The Brooding Woman and A Piece of Apple to see what they like!

Friday's Top Five: Myths Debunked

Hello faithful readers of five:

This is yet another catch-up post. This was supposed to be posted on October 11, but alas, work interferes with my social life again. I am pretty sure it was Joanne who came up with this topic, and it's a toughie. My responses are more anecdotal. I am not sure if they technically count as debunked if I was stupid enough to fall for the lie to begin with. As well, I am going to suggest things that maybe haven't been debunked. But this is my blog, and all that really matters is my opinion really. LOL.

5) Activity has no effect on weigh-loss (it will only help with maintenance).

I have heard repeatedly from different sources (including the Weight Wise Clinic of the hospital) that activity doesn't have as much an effect on weight-loss as diet. The rational is that you need to do a significant amount of exercise (more than the average person can reasonably do) to burn off any significant calories. I understand the point of what they are saying - that thinking if you go to the gym for an hour, that it will negate the DQ Blizzard you ate on the way home. So that extent, yes, that is true.

However, I know that if I have weeks where I don't do at least three slow-to-moderate paced walks of one hour long walks, I gain wait or stay the same. Activity seems to be the difference when all other things are equal.

4) A University degree is your meal-ticket to a more prosperous job compared to any other level of post secondary education.

Bullshit.

3) Working for a non-profit charitable or religious organisation means the employer will treat the employee better.

Let's just put it this way. There is a difference between doing God's work, and working for the Church. At the end of the day, you are still just an employee. An underpaid one at that.

2) T.V. Shows and Movies you loved as a child are just as good now.

I will argue over and over again that comedies/dramas were better "back in the day" then they are now. That is largely true. But truthfully, not every show has stood the test of time. I am looking at you Alf.

1) You will have the wedding of your dreams.

I loved getting married. I love my husband to death and back. But to clarify, I am referring to the actual wedding ceremony itself.

You can have all the images you want of the type of wedding you will have growing up. The type of dress. The colour choices. Where you will go. Who you will have as your attendants. What your first song will be.

Then you meet the guy. And oh, he has a large family who he is close to. So there goes the "wedding in Banff" idea. That fall wedding you dreamed of becomes a summer wedding to accommodate your teacher friends and out-of-town guests. The colours you want, you can't find. The dress you want you can't find because that is not the style. Things are more expensive then you anticipated, so there goes the chair covers and big centerpieces. One of your attendant dies/moves/get's pregnant. Your mom/mother-in-law have their own wish lists. He can't stand the song you like. The reality of what you have budgeted doesn't match the reality of the true cost of getting married. The list goes on. And on. And on.

You can still have a dream-wedding. But, like the rest of your married life, be prepared for compromise.

Check out what A Warm Cup of Jo, The Brooding Woman, and A Piece of Apple have to say on this topic.