A to Z
By: Exuberance Unlimited
Tags: Fun, Classics, A To Z, Movies, Romance

Every time I sit down to pen a blog it always ends up being a social message or something serious even when it was not my intention. My kids roll up their eyes and say “we know” as if to tell me that our fun time also ends up with my ruining it with moral lectures for them! Have I actually become like the adults I dreaded all my life? Has the fun element gone out of me for good? I wouldn’t want that to happen to me- NOT EVER!! It shouldn’t happen to anybody! I love a good laugh and I appreciate humour like nothing else then what has changed for me to don on this awful cloak of seriousness and complete wet blanket attitude? It has to stop or at least give way for silly, goofy fun from time to time!

This blog is an attempt to do just that. As a kid when the teacher would carry on like a drone, I’d fill the rear pages of my notebook with A-to-Z animals/flowers/singers and bands/actors/ actresses… the list was endless; as a result of which the class would stop being as dull for me. I shall attempt to do the same today though I’ll stick to Movies and Books! I will do an A to Z with movies first- the first movie that comes to mind with the letter. I may add more than one if I absolutely have to. Mostly, these movies are those that I have seen more than once, some more than 20–30 times!! There may or may not be little notes with each, I can’t say just yet, for this is an impromptu attempt and I have no clue how this will turn out! I just hope I do not have to scrap the blog altogether. Of course, if it is too lengthy then I might do the books as a sequel blog even though I know I have seldom, if at all, kept my promises of sequels!! Let’s do this!!

Note: I have eaten up the articles (A/An/The) to be able to cover maximum letters.

A- Avengers- Okay! I am all excited and just cannot do without notes! I love the entire franchise of these movies- preferably those that have Iron Man featuring in them. I absolutely love the man (Robert Downey Jr) for his sarcasm. Total fan right from the first Iron man movie! The main characters are to die for and the actors playing them are great too. Addicted to Love for the Love of Meg Ryan and Romance! Alpha is fairly recent but I have seen it thrice and I love it. (I have broken the rule of one letter, one movie- pardon me my garrulous streak!)

B- Bridges of Madison County-This book and movie were introduced to me by my dreamer friend and I loved the book and it was an absolute delight to have Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep playing the lead roles. Must watch for dreamers and romantics!! Bridget Jones Diary — The book is funny and the first movie is great especially for those who dig Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy and the best part is that he played the actual Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice too!! Renee Zellweger and Hugh Grant do a good job as well. Ben Hur- One of the few period movies I have enjoyed! The chariot race is a highlight. My brother would watch it over and over, when we were kids! Bucket List- Must watch. The Morgan Freeman- Jack Nicholson combo is too good to miss. Beautiful movie!

C- Charade — A thriller featuring Cary Grant and the gorgeous Audrey Hepburn. I watched it about three or four times, once upon a time, nearly two and a half decades ago when VCR’s were the in thing!

D- Dr. Zhivago-I found it boring as a kid but I loved Lara’s theme ever since I heard it. Was reintroduced to it by a dear friend and fell in love with it. Watched it twice (the Omar Sharif, Julie Christie version) and read the book which is an achievement! Reading books by Russian authors is daunting if you are a slow reader who tends to take breaks in between. You can never remember who was who, save for the main characters. It took me so many attempts to read Anna Karenina which is a thick book but I was victorious and it was worth it! Dirty Dancing — For those who love dancing and Patrick Swayze!

E- Erin Brockovich- A good movie and I love Julia Roberts but it is on my list because I couldn’t think of another movie with E!!

F- Fast and the Furious- Watched it to humour my son and his love for cars, action, Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and The Rock! Fell in love with it. Have watched the entire series and keep watching it whenever it pops up on TV.

G- Godfather — I am yet to meet someone who has seen this movie and hasn’t been totally smitten! God Bless Mario Puzo for writing the entire lot of mafia themed books and God Bless every single person involved in the films. There were three and I loved them all but nothing to beat the first one! Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall and James Caan were absolutely brilliant- so were the rest!!! Grease- a complete contrast from The Godfather but a wonderful movie nonetheless. The sequel is okay but John Travolta and Olivia Newton John have nailed it! Gladiator- The other period film that I enjoyed more than a couple of times!

H- Harry Potter- Hail JK Rowling and Harry Potter and gang- the books were undoubtedly brilliant but the movies were par excellence too. That’s why I love tarot for I feel less of a muggle then!! I could write a whole blog dedicated to them and still not tire of it! I have to add sadly, I am not a Gryffindor- I am a proud Hufflepuff though and my patronus is a horse!!

I- Iron Man- Had to make a special mention and cover the letter I!! Intern — This Robert DeNiro and Anne Hathaway starrer is an absolute favourite. I love them both!

J- Just Go With it- A feel good movie with the lovely Jennifer Aniston and the affable Adam Sandler! Watch it if you need a dose of happiness! Jumanji- This is a special movie for me for it was my first movie in an open-air theatre with a senior, a wonderful soul who has since passed on, well before his time. Apart from the sentiment, the movie in itself was brilliant and both the sequels have been just as great too. Please don’t give it a miss!

K- King’s Speech- A great movie starring Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter, who no matter what she wears and what role she plays, will always be Bellatrix Lestrange for me!! It is based on King George VI and his struggle to overcome his stammer. A very touching movie with every actor playing their role to perfection! Must watch.

L- Life is Beautiful- This poignant tale of a father humouring his son so that his days in the concentration camp in Nazi Germany was as happy and devoid of fear as could be. Brilliant movie. I have tears in my eyes as I type this for you. What extremes the human race is capable of!

M- My Fair Lady- I grew up watching this movie and memorizing all the dialogues which served me well during my masters in English literature. I definitely am partial to the movie ending than either of the two, George Bernard Shaw had in mind. This movie is BRILLIANT. I love every single person in the film, the music and lyrics, the dialogue which are mostly from the play. Audrey Hepburn is to die for and Rex Harrison is at his obnoxious best as an MCP. I could go on and on! Don’t wait another moment if you haven’t seen the film, go watch it NOW! Mary Poppins- I loved the book and I adored the movie and it was news to me when the movie “Saving Mr. Banks” was aired that P.L Travers, the author of the book (played by Emma Thompson) did not appreciate the movie Walt Disney (played by Tom Hanks) made! I beg to differ. The movie is responsible for the book being such a success! Again, the cast was brilliant with Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins) and David Tomlinson (George Banks) being my favourite! Great music and it is difficult for Walt Disney to go wrong! God Bless Him for his contribution to our lives! Mamma Mia- for the love of ABBA, Meryl Streep and Colin Firth among others!

N- Notting Hill- Hilarious! Hugh Grant’s comic timing is at its best and Julie Roberts is another favourite of mine!

O- Officer and Gentleman- This Richard Gere starrer features on my list because that’s the first one that popped up in my head and nothing followed. I saw it in the seventh grade with my parents and brother. We had a conservative upbringing and I think I must’ve mentioned it somewhere before but most of the English films we watched were classics and the few James Bond films that came home had me out of the room longer than in it. Every time he would come into the frame with another woman, I had to go out. Now, when someone recommended this movie to my father and said it was great for kids, we went to the theatre to watch it and it was great till the interval after which fireworks began and by the time we came out, my brother was stifling a grin, Dad looked as though he had been sentenced to the guillotine and Ma was eyeing the huge “A” that was on the poster which we had missed. I was wide eyed with a million questions in my head! So that’s more about my experience and less about the movie!!

P- Pretty Woman- The man (Richard Gere) looks better and better with age! She is an absolute sweetheart (Julia Roberts) and their pairing is lovely just like Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks! It is the Cinderella Story with a few real-life twists. You’ll enjoy every bit of it. Proposal- I have watched this movie a number of times too. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds! It is definitely worth a watch even if you aren’t a romantic and if you are, you’ll see it more than once. Not deep or anything but a fun watch.

Q- Couldn’t think of anything. I haven’t watched a lot, I guess!

R- Runaway Bride- Another Gere-Roberts film. Love it. Can see it over and over again.

S- Shawshank Redemption- Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins. I never thought I’d like a prison-based movie (I did like the Longest Yard though- both the old and new version) but I have seen this one 4–5 times and I can see it again. I do not want to give the story away. See it!

T- The Sound of Music- Cristopher Plummer and Julie Andrews! May have seen this one, ten times more than My Fair Lady. A perfect film. It has everything in it. Timeless! Again, all the dialogues are known to me! The cast, the story, the setting, the songs and their lyrics- every single thing is WOW! The Devil wears Prada- Miranda Priestley lives with you long after the movie. Meryl Streep has played her part to perfection (doesn’t she always) as has Anne Hathaway. I could watch this movie over and over just for Streep’s haughty “That’s all”! Top Gun- I do not think this movie needs an introduction! Tom Cruise at his handsomest best as Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell was an icon! I am sure you have already watched it more than once! The sequel is out after so many years and we are yet to watch it! Two Weeks’ Notice- Another funny romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock. A light movie to cheer you up!

U- Ugly Truth- I have watched it a couple of times and have liked it too but it features here because of the U! Worth a watch though, this Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler film!

V- Valentines Day- Again, it’s here for the letter V! A feel-good multi-starrer romance cannot go wrong!

W- When Harry Met Sally- This is my go-to movie when I need the warmth of a cozy romance, second only to the last movie featured here! Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal! It just warms my heart every time I see this movie and I can grow old watching it! MUST WATCH!

X- Not seen any!

Y- You’ve Got Mail- Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks do a wonderful job in this simple romance and I absolutely revel in it! Their magic is even better than Sleepless in Seattle! It really can’t get better than this. Again, I could grow old watching this as well. ABSOLUTE MUST WATCH!

Z- Given this a miss too!

A Special mention to a few cartoon films- The Jungle Book, Alice in Wonderland, The Lion King and Kung Fu Panda (the first movie was the best even though the two sequels are watchable).

As I had predicted, the books A to Z will have to feature in a subsequent blog to this one as I have written so much! I just got carried away and even as I am typing the concluding lines, movies are popping up in my head that I shouldn’t have left out!! I have been a movie buff all my life and I absolutely love Indian cinema. I even enjoy mediocre movies in Hindi as long as they aren’t too violent. I am crazy about Hindi movies and I have seen a fair amount of excellent Malayalam movies as well, hailing from Kerala! However, this list has only English movies, to cater to a wider readership, that probably do not understand either Hindi or Malayalam. Hope you enjoyed the compilation. Any movie suggestions are welcome in the comments section!

My Blog: https://www.musingswhileunlearning.com/2020/12/a-to-z.html