This is a powerful show. It grabbed my heart, and shook it like a put bull. I’ve seen Temuera Morrison (Jake the Snake) in other movies (like Attack of the Clones), and it’s hard not to hate him because of his incredible performance in this movie. I have to remember, he was just acting. He did an excellent job at playing the type of person that I don’t think should allowed to be a father or even be around kids at all for that matter.Knowing that stuff like this happens makes it even more difficult to watch. It’s part of the dark side of humanity. This is a sad show but good to see because its reality for some people. We need to admit it’s there, look for it, and try to change it.

Within a week after watching American Beauty, I quit a job that I absolutely hated. This was my show. My life was about being mentally and emotionally sedated while I dragged myself from day to day and this inspired me to try to make some changes. I say try because although changing jobs helped, it didn’t fix everything. It’s going to take a while. But this goes down as one of my all time favorites. I laughed and cried.It felt real. The characters seemed like human beings with frustrations and problems like me. We all live and struggle in this world. We all cry. We all feel insecure. But so often I suffer alone in my fears and imperfections by burrying them as deep as possible. It’s torture. We need more courageous people to speak honestly and openly about our shadows. We need less bragging, gloating, blaming, and criticizing and more frank, open, vulnerable honesty. Like this show.

Summary

Here is a list of some of my favorite films. It’s not complete, by any means. I’ve left out many of the blockbusters which most people have seen. I have tried to include movies that may not be as well known…for the most part. Maybe someday I’ll start posting reviews of them…

Dirkie
Knocked Up
Little Miss Sunshine
Hotel Rwanda
Stranger than Fiction
Gridiron Gang
The Squid and the Whale
Boston Legal (TV Series)
The Ringer
The Departed
Blood Diamond
Why We Fight
A Love Song for Bobby Long
The Shipping News
Memoirs of a Geisha
Shopgirl
Capote
Primer
The Constant Gardener
The Aviator
Sin City
Crash
War of the Worlds
Door in the Floor
The Corporation
Dopemine
L’Auberge Espagnole
Love Jones
L.I.E.
Trailer Park Boys
Memento
Lost in Translation
Fight Club
Unbreakable
Amelie
Antwone Fisher
Bliss
Bend it Like Beckham
Billy Elliot
The Breakfast Club
American History X
Bully
Dead Poets Society
Donnie Darko
Good Will Hunting
Happiness
Grand Canyon
The Hours
In The Bedroom
In America
House of Sand and Fog
Lovely and Amazing
Magnolia
Monsters Ball
Moulin Rouge
Parenthood
Punch Drunk Love
Quills
Rabbit-Proof Fence
Regarding Henry
Requium for a Dream
Run Lola Run
Sylvia
Talk to Her
Whale Rider
What Dreams May Come
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Sex and Lucia
The Experiment
The Station Agent
The Tin Drum
Scared Straight
Secondhand Lions
White Oleander
Real Women have Curves
Blue Velvet