10 Must See Movies

Due to the incessent rain, I've spent a lot of time watching TV. There really isn't that much on right now. There are only so many episodes of Designed to Sell I can watch before I get bored with taupe paint and neutral drapes. And yes, there is always Wipeout, but it's only on once a week, so for the other 6 days, I'm out. I guessing I'm not alone in feeling this way. This is why I'm doing a list of my favorite movies for a rainy day. I'm keeping the list to 10, or this post would never be finished. These are my opinions, and, since everyone is entitled to their own opinions and tastes, you can ignore this list, or you can give these a try. I'm doing a countdown format, with my favorite at #1.

#10 Napoleon Dynamite Has the rain got you down? Are you feeling a little low? Do you need a good laugh? Or do you just need to reminisce about what you wore in high school? Take a ride with a true geek--awkward and loveable at the same time.

#9 X-Men Any of the movies will do. Who couldn't use a little Hugh Jackman in their life? Totally escapist fun.

#8 Return to Me I'm a cry baby. This movie makes me cry. But sometimes, on a cloudy day, a movie that brings out the tears is just the catharsis I need. And I only cry at the beginning and the end. The rest is funny and sweet and clean. It's like a little spot of sunshine in my gloomy day.

#7 The Office I know this is really a TV show, and not a movie, but it is as good as any movie out there, and if you have a chance, you should start from season 1 and watch all the seasons that are on DVD. I think the next season will be out very soon. Loads of laughs.

#6 Horatio Hornblower Ioan Gruffold has made it big these days as that guy in Fantastic Four (Mr. Fantastic?), but he started out in this series about a young officer that slowly finds his confidence in the British Royal Navy. There is a lot of sailor jargon (Aye aye cap'n!) and swashbuckling adventure. I think there are 8 different adventures altogether. Each one has a beginning and an end, so if you don't have 8 hours to sit around, you can watch one at a time and still feel satisfied.

#5 Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure I have suggested this at movie night time after time, and I just keep getting shot down! It may look goofy, ridiculous, immature, and downright silly, but that's because it is. And that's why it makes my rainy day list. There is nothing to think too hard about, or cry about, or talk about. It's about 2 guys who are failing history, are given one last chance to redeem themselves and save Ted from military school, and are given a phone booth time machine so they can pass history and save the world through their rock band, Wyld Stallions. I find it hilarious. And it's Keanu Reeves' finest work. After my dad saw this (which he laughed at, and he's a tough critic), he finally got why we kept saying, "Whoa" when we saw Keanu in other movies.

#4 Strictly Ballroom I love love love this movie. Take a clumsy, shy, bespectacled girl with bad skin and a smooth, fancy ballroom champion, put them together, and you've got a show. The flamboyant costumes, the clever dialogue (which is all extremely quotable, especially at ballroom competitions), the excellent acting and the sport of champions, and you have the perfect movie for a grey day.

#3 Lord of the Rings Pick one, any one. But maybe start at the beginning. Even if you're not a nerd like me, these are loads of fun. What's not to love about hobbits? And if you haven't seen these, you really should, just so you know what people are talking about. They're fantastic. And you can watch them with the spouse, because they appeal to both boys and girls.

#2 Pride and Prejudice, starring Colin Firth. If you haven't seen this one yet, please come borrow it from me. Yes, it's 5 hours long, but it's raining anyway, so you might as well watch something good and enjoy it! Great story, great romance, piano scene piano scene piano scene.

#1 North and South, starring Richard Armitage. Don't confuse this with the Civil War drama. This is a BBC production, it's British, and it's a period film. The best way I can describe it is a combination of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. A young woman and her frail mother are uprooted by her father from their idyllic home in the south of England, where it's lush and green and beautiful, to the north, to an industrial town, full of smoke and soot and unhappy laborers. She becomes wrapped up in the union's struggle against the mill bosses, and romance and drama ensue. This is my #1 for a few reasons: 1) Richard Armitage 2) It's very well made, and long enough to get you through the rotten weather, and 3) Richard Armitage.

I own all of these movies, and if you are interested, pop by and borrow them. If not, what are your favorite rainy day movies? I can always welcome another good movie into my life!