Practical Magic
Twister
That Thing You Do!
The Parent Trap
Con Air
Dead Poets Society
X-Files
This
is a great drama/romantic comedy/suspense movie starring Sandra Bullock
and Nicole Kidman (Sally and Gillian) as two sister witches who are kept
from living normal lives because of their ability to perform magic. They
are also the latest victims of a family curse that keeps them from ever
keeping a true love for very long. They find themselves thrown into a cauldron
of trouble when Gillian's boyfriend is killed from their defending hands.
Anyway,
it's not a surprise that this and a few others on this list are not only
my favorite movies, but also contain the soundtracks that have become my
favorite CDs.
Here
is a listing of the Practical Magic soundtrack:
Twister
Starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton, this is the movie
that started the whole Nature vs. Man craze that included Volcano, Armageddon
and Deep Impact. Probably the best and most dramatically significant
of the bunch, Twister follows a couple of 
competitive
storm chaser groups as each tries to improve the warning times for tornados
in the MidWest. The character dynamics in this movie are very interesting
as a subplot, including Jo's father issues, and the relationship alternating
between Jo, Bill, and Melissa. On the other hand, watch for the cow, and a wild and lovable character named Dusty. =)
Great special effects, and, of course, a great soundtrack.
Twister Soundtrack Listing:
1. Humans Being - Van Halen (awesome
driving song)
2. Virtual Reality - Rusted Root
3. Talula (BT's Tornado Mix) - Tori Amos
4. Moments Like This - Alison Krauss & Union Station
5. Darling Pretty - Mark Knopfler
6. Miss This - Soul Asylum (I like
this one...what ever happened to the band?)
7. Broken - Belly
8. Love Affair - k.d. lang
9. How - Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
10. Melancholy Mechanics - Red Hot Chili Peppers (twisted
and fun)
11. Long Way Down (remix) - Goo Goo Dolls
12. No One Needs to Know - Shania Twain
13. Twisted - Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham
14. Respect the Wind - Edward and Alex Van Halen (great
bleeding heart riffs)
That Thing You
Do!
Tom Hank's brainchild, this movie about a one-hit wonder
band back in the good ol' days is such great fun that a close friend and
I consider it our "happy movie" (Miss ya, Frankie).
Starring Tom Hanks, Liv Tyler, and Tom Everett Scott, this is a really
engaging movie that can be fully appreciated down to the last detail. I
heard
that Tom
Hanks took extra pains in making sure that even the appliances in the backgrounds
of the scenes complied to the time period. The connections and odiosyncrasies
within the movie are pretty cool and can be easily noticed by freaks like
me who have seen the movie several times. This is a perfect film for those
rainy, chicken soup, under the covers days.
Occasionally featured on VH-1, and of course availabe
on VHS and DVD.
Sountrack Listing (even the CD insert has Hanks' brand
of detail lavished on it):
1. Lovin' You Lots and Lots - The Norm Wooster Singers
2. That Thing You Do! - The Wonders
3. Little Wild One - The Wonders
4. Dance With Me Tonight - The Wonders
5. All My Only Dreams - The Wonders
6. I Need You (That Thing You Do) - The Wonders
7. She Knows It - The Heardsmen
8. Mr. Downtown - Freddy Fredrickson
9. Hold My Hand, Hold My Heart - The Chantrellines
10. Voyage Around the Moon - The Saturn 5
11. My World Is Over - Diane Dane
12. Drive Faster - The Vicksburgs
13. Shrimp Shack - Cap'n Geech & the Shrimp Shack
Shooters (our heroes!) =)
14. Time to Blow - Del Paxton
15. That Thing You Do! (Live at the Hollywood Television
Showcase) - The Wonders
The Parent Trap (the
90's version)
Starring the charming Lindsay Lohan as both twins Hallie
and Annie, this is a great movie to feed the little kid inside of you.
Natasha Richardson and Dennis Quaid are wonderful as the estranged parents
who become the middle of this matchmaking deception. Good fun, though I
consider the beginning a bit slow (if you have the video, fast forward
through ti all after the first time you've seen it). =) Another great chicken
soup movie.
When
you're in a less childish mood, there's still the possibility of looking
at this movie and trying to figure out all the blue screen techniques used
to create the double Lindsays. Either way, it's great fun. Good sountrack,
too (even though I don't have it). Happy oldies that make you smile.
Con Air
Marc
and I have fun imitating talented Nicolas Cage's accent in this one ("Puht
thuh bunneh back in thuh box"). There's always a need for some mindless
action flick out there and this one happens to be one of my faves. Keep
an eye out for the clever sequence introducing John Cusack's character,
Vince Larkin. He's the scene stealer in that one with his witty remarks.
John Malkovich is great as "Cyrus the damn Virus," the prodigal prisoner
who leads the plan to hijack the best convict carrier plane in the nation.
Steve Buscemi also steals the show, especially at the end where he sings
a song that I doubt made it to the soundtrack.
Dead Poets Society
This is a beautiful film about a group of boys at a strict
prep school and the unorthodox literature teacher (Robin Williams) who
inspires them all to follow their dreams. This has always been a favorite
of mine, though I tend to get very emotional when I watch it. Once, remembering
exactly what happens, I started crying in anticipation in the beginning
of the movie.
Many will be
able to identify with the newness of entering an unfamiliar place, the
strict conformity placed on these developing boys, and the constrictions
placed on them by stern administrators and militaristic fathers.
I believe everyone should watch this movie. The characters
are inspiring, poignant, and funny, and the writing is wonderful. The film
really depicts the beauty of poetry and the poetry of life.
The X-Files: Fight the Future
The
perfect transition between years 5 and 6, this movie can be understood
even if you're not an X-Phile like yours truly. From beginning to end,
the suspense and mystery keep to the fast pace that the one-hour episodes
typically follow. If you get the video, you'll see great behind-the-scenes
footage, including interviews with David Duvochny, Gillian Anderson, and
the creator Chris Carter. This is a very satisfying flick, and grabs you
from the very beginning. While it can be more appreciated if you know a
bit of the background, I still recommend this movie for the plot and characters
that can exist here, independent of the TV series.
Here
is a listing of The X-Files: Fight the Future soundtrack: (it's great!)
1. One - Filter
2. Flower Man - Tonic
3. Walking After You - Foo Fighters (=)...sigh...)(a long time favorite...the music video is heart-wrenching)
4. Beacon Light - Ween
5. Invisible Sun - Sting and Aswad
6. Deuce - The Cardigans (surprisingly bluesy and nice)
7. One More Murder - Better Than Ezra
8. More Than This - The Cure
9. Hunter - Bjork (Bjork is always a great idea)
10. 16 Horses - Soul Coughing
11. Crystal Ship - X
12. Black - Sarah McLachlan (Sarah is, too)(More on Sarah...)
13. Teotihuacan - Noel Gallagher
14. The X-Files Theme - The Dust Brothers ("The truth is out there...") ;)