First of all, I just got a new PS2! It's the new slim model, which is hardly bigger than a DVD case. It's adorable. I got it because my old one is 5 years old, and I'm really really tired of cracking the case open every week or so and adjusting the laser by hand to get it to play. Sure, I could hold out for a PS3, but you know what? $500? I'm not buying into that generation. Sony
royally blew this console generation. I doubt there will be a PS4. I got my PS2 as an engagement gift. My wife got a platinum emerald ring, and I got a PS2. I think I got the better deal!
And thus, this is our 4th anniversary! So we were talking about knowing each other, and I knew her favorite movie was
The Princess Bride, so I asked her what mine was. She didn't know. But that was okay, because I don't either. I have since been contemplating in the shower, and while I do not know what my favorite movie is, I would like to tell you what movies I like. They fall into 3 categories, and a single movie that does not fit those categories:
1 - Ridiculously stupid comedies. Zoolander, Mystery Men (notice the Ben Stiller trend), Anchorman, Elf (a Will Ferrell trend!), The Hebrew Hammer. Yes, I
do really like Mystery Men. I know it's too long, but it's really funny.
2 - Movies that are action, comedy, or something else that pulls you in (i.e. not preachy boring blabber betwixt victorian gents and ladies), but beneath that is hiding a really complex and interesting message or discussion. Something to really talk about after and decipher the meaning of. The Matrix, Fight Club, Dogma. Really big messages, but not preachy, and no melodramatic swells of music as someone sobs in a cornfield.
3 - There's an inappropriate term for these movies that I can't say here. Let's say they're "Mind-mess-up" movies. Twists and turns, shock endings. They don't make you think about some deep topic, they just make you think about the movie itself. Sixth Sense of course, Signs, Identity. Probably this is my favorite 'genre' if it is one. I like to be surprised. It's a hard one to do right.
And lastly, the one movie that I really loved that doesn't fit any of those categories. I love it for reasons I thought I left behind when I was 17 or 18, but apparently, it's still a valid reason. I'm just harder to impress than I was. I love this movie not for deep thought or hilarious comedy, but simply for the "wow, that was cool" of incredibly amazing violence. That's a horrible reason, but if you see this movie, you'll know why, and you'll know that there has never been another movie like it. Equilibrium! It's just a spectacle (with a good plot, messages, all that stuff). On a similar note, I enjoyed (but definitely don't consider a favorite) the movie One (Jet Li) for the same reasons. It wasn't nearly as amazing, but it had some effects that were just really enjoyable to see.
So I still don't know my favorite, but I like those ones, and others like them. Oh, and not really befitting any of those categories, I like Quentin Tarantino movies (Jackie Brown the most, and not Kill Bill much at all, blah). Of course I also like Jackie Chan, Bruce Campbell, MST3K, and bad horror movies. But those things don't go on the top. Oh, speaking of kung fu, Shaolin Soccer... that goes right on top. It's definitely one of my absolute favorites, but not for any of the 3 category reasons. Dang, those categories are just falling apart. Oh well, I like movies.
