Seen any good movies lately?

I've never been much of a movie buff. If Netflix, Redbox or Blockbuster had to rely on my business, they'd be waiting in line for a government bailout. I may be the only person alive who hasn't seen "Star Wars" start to finish. Not "Return of the Jedi" either, nor any of the others that followed. I can't tell you much about Luke Skywalker, Obi Wan-Kanobi, R2D2, C3PO, Darth Vader, Yoda, Jar Jar Binks or Jabba the hut. Even though I used to watch the "Star Trek" TV series, I never made it to a Trek movie either. William Shatner is still "Captain Kirk" in my book. And I've never been a big fan of "Batman," "Spiderman," or any of the other superheroes who have landed their own movies. And "Gone With the Wind?" I've yet to see that. Frankly Scarlett, I don't give a darn.
But this past Christmas Melissa gave us a trial subscription to Netflix, and so we've joined the movie generation. It spurred me to buy a Wii (which totally surprised Barbara) so we could stream our movies. And now that my studies are nearly over, we've had more time to watch movies. Some have been good, some not so good. But a movie spent cuddling with my wife on the sofa is never a bad investment of time.
I can remember very few movies from childhood. One of the few that stand out is "The Sound of Music," which I saw in Sioux Falls with Mom. We must've gone there shopping as I recall our going to the State Theater to see it. There are some other dim memories of movies like "Old Yeller." But then Rog and I -- in our teen years -- would head to Mitchell when the newest vampire flick came out starring Bela Lugosi as Dracula. We were up for a good scare back then. Nowadays? Not so much.
For me it's very hard to invest time in a TV movie or show, but there are some movies over the years that, no matter how often I've seen them (and some of them I've seen 20 or more times) I will stop what I'm doing, sit down and watch them again. But then again there are other movies I've liked but don't care to see more than once. What makes a movie our favorite? Great acting? The plot? Location? Favorite actors?
Some of my faves are epics, like "Ben Hur" with Charlton Heston. The story and biblical time period are fascinating, the music compelling, and the chariot race a classic. A particularly memorable scene is Ben Hur's attempt to give water to Jesus on the path to crucifixion -- an emotional story charged and revered by millions of Christians. Ben Hur has my vote for the greatest movie ever. What gets your vote?
Another favorite is "The Birds" by Alfred Hitchcock. Can't say I'm a big Alfred Hitchcock fan, but the mystery of this movie and the horror gripped me, and I still enjoy watching it to this day, particularly the eerie ending. "Jurassic Park" is another favorite of the same thriller type. But probably my favorite thriller movie of all is "Jaws." When it came out in 1975 it scared the bejeebers out of us in theater when the man's head popped through the hole in his boat; he was missing one eye. And a favorite line was by Roy Scheider after seeing the shark up close: "You're gonna need a bigger boat."
One movie often mentioned as a favorite by movie-goers is "The Shawshank Redemption." I've never been able to explain why I like this movie, but the story of an unjustly-jailed man who befriends a convict and eventually digs his way to freedom and a new life is another gripping tale. And I love Morgan Freeman's quote to "Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."
And then, some of my favorite movies are just plain dumb. Yeah, "Dumb and Dumber" is on top of that list. "Napolean Dynamite" is too, along with "Men in Black" and "The Blues Brothers." I rarely buy a movie DVD and so when I do it's usually one I will watch over and over. And I have all of these in my DVD collection. The same goes for "A League of Their Own," with another favorite quote from Tom Hanks: "You're crying? There's no crying in baseball."
You may not expect "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" to make the list, but I think Pee Wee's eccentricities and the special effects made this an addition to my DVD library. I would play and replay Large Marge's expression for the kids (and for me). Remember that one?
Probably the only movie I've ever seen more than once in theater is "Saving Private Ryan." It is a gripping tale and a good -- if extremely graphic -- story of the horrors and the price of war. And it makes you think.
There are so many more movies I could mention. I still can't explain what makes a movie a favorite -- story line, or special effects, or great acting. Maybe it's simply laughing or crying -- sharing an emotion -- with friends or family. Or maybe it's just cuddling up with someone you love.