Friday Favorites: March 4, 2016 Edition

So is it me or was the Oscar buzz this year a little quieter than usual? Oh sure, I heard all about the diversity drama . . . but I'm talking about the DRESSES. I didn't see any that made me briefly regret my common sense college major in lieu of the Hollywood life. Unlike Stacey, I'm not a big movie lover, so my yearly tradition is to ignore the awards and the movies and buy the magazine the following week so that I can check out the dresses. But that ritual was a big yawn this year.

I do have a few movie favorites, though, and I agree with a couple of Stacey's choices (namely, The Princess Bride; for us, it's almost part of the culture of the church we attend. "Welcome, new members! If you have not seen The Princess Bride, we will have a special showing just for you later this week. After the viewing, you'll receive a copy of our photo directory and a coffee mug.") Not really. But close.

So here are a handful of my favorites--beginning with my all-time favorite:

Make fun all you want--I won't even get offended. Every blessed time the Captain says, "You've brought music back into the house. I'd forgotten." I swoon. I'm getting a lump in my throat right this very minute, and I am not even kidding. I adore the whole thing. (And yes, I realize it's very long . . . I will admit that I was 19 years old before I even saw what comes after the wedding scene because I couldn't stay up that late.)

While we're on the subject of my more serious movie choices, I'll go ahead and tackle this one:

Don't watch this movie when you're even remotely singing the blues because you WILL cry, but it is one of the most beautiful movies (and a true story) that you'll ever see. And here's the advantage to being a picky movie-watcher: I have never seen Anthony Hopkins as a villain. Never. So in my heart, he's CS Lewis--or Jack--and he's charming and delightful and not at all scary. I saw this in the mid-90s, and I still adore the soundtrack.

And speaking of love, I do love a good romantic comedy; here are my favorites:

I like this photo better than the movie poster.

While You Were Sleeping . . . it's everything you want in a Friday night movie: warm, romantic, hilarious, quirky, and all about family and happy endings.

I was pleased to see that the romantic hero in this movie is a PASTOR! And Hollywood portrayed him as smart, fun, interesting, and normal . . . not a weird cult-like caricature. (One point for Hollywood . . . Christians CAN be normal.) I also love the subtle but clear pro-life stance (some abstinence messages also).

And because I have little ones, I'd be remiss if I didn't choose one favorite animated movie. While I love the princess ones, I find that this one speaks to me the most:

I saw this when, right after my second wedding anniversary, my husband was sent overseas for a year. God spoke to me through a little blue cartoon fish who told me to "just keep swimming." I love everything about this movie (and I can't wait 'til the sequel comes out this summer). I MAY have already bought several packs of Nemo paper plates for our beach trip this summer.

Other honorable mentions: Two Weeks Notice ("I don't know how you can sleep at night!" "Well, I have a machine that simulates the sound of the ocean."), Mr. Holland's Opus, You've Got Mail, French Kiss (another great soundtrack), and I would be lying if I say that I don't watch at least five minutes of Hitch every time it's on TV.

Forget the Oscar winners . . . let's enjoy the cheese!

--Andrea