10 movies for april showers.

hello readers! this month sure flew by for me and courtney! this list comes a little bit late, but is dedicated to the horrible weather (minus the last few days) we've been suffering through all month. hopefully that's all behind us now with summer on the horizon. but to celebrate what's left of april, it's time to present ten of the best movie scenes featuring RAIN.

1. singin' in the rain

no other film scene could rightly top this list other than the fabulous gene kelly dance number found in singin' in the rain. it is one of the truly great iconic moments in all of film and let's be honest, it has made us all want to dance around jumping in puddles too on the right day!

2. breakfast at tiffany's

when you think of rain in film, it's impossible not to associate big screen smooches. this one is my personal favorite of the "kiss in the rain" entries because it's just a really, truly tender moment between these two broken characters. oh and did i mention there happens to be a cat in the scene too?

3. the shawshank redemption

andy dufresne, a freshly escaped convict emerges through tunnels of filth to be showered with freedom from the skies. he, along with the audience was probably REALLY thankful it was raining that night.

5. jurassic park

remember the time the power went out during the rain in a park full of dinosaurs and then all the dinosaurs went loose and tried killing everybody? the rain adds beautifully to the tension of these scenes. nothing can really be seen clearly and no one has control of anything. all of this only make the chaos more delightful.

6. psycho

here's another example of rain forcing someone into a dangerous situation. marion crane is battling her inner conscience when some unbearable rain forces her to make an unexpected detour. if it weren't for this rainy scene, we wouldn't really have much of a movie! okay we would have ... but it would be far more bonnie and clyde and much less psycho.

7. pride & prejudice

another romantic scene, but this one is kiss-less. in the 2005 version, darcy gives a botched proposal to elizabeth amid a rainy backdrop. somehow despite insulting her, he manages to throw in some undeniable sexual tension her way that definitely gets her thinking. i'll admit, this update of a rainy english country side was much preferred in my cinema loving brain than the original fireplace setting of the book.

8. drag me to hell

some unforeseen rain adds some really great tension during the cinematic climax of drag me to hell. who knew rain could be so deathly? 

9. unbreakable

remember what i just said about rain being deathly in drag me to hell? ditto that in unbreakable ... but somehow it's even worse here! i guess it helps that the main character doesn't exactly get along with water ...

10. TIE! garden state and the truman show

i found it incredibly hard to pick between the two, so i included both. one is another very sweet romantic and spontaneous moment in the rain between two people that really need each other, and the other is a great moment of realization for a character that will drive the rest of his actions through the course of a film. 

HONORABLE MENTION: okay it's not out yet, but baz lurhmann's the great gatsby looks like it just may have a scene that would be suitable for this list! a soaking wet dicaprio is almost always a good thing! well ... unless kate winslet's around refusing to share a floating door with him ...

movies for st. patrick's day.

hello again readers! spring is in the air (for now ...), and st. patrick's day is this sunday! unfortunately both kind of creeped up on me, so i am utterly unprepared for this list. as a result, i'm listing a wide variety of films that represent st. patrick's day ... in some way. some are good, some are bad; some i've seen, and some i haven't. with that in mind, let's get to the list!

THE GOOD:

the quiet man - this ireland set romance features john wayne playing a bit outside his norm (but just a bit) opposite the beautiful maureen o'hara. as a true irish woman, she naturally gives the most authentic performance of anyone from the movies on this list. this sweet love story is definitely worth watching for great performances, gorgeous irish scenery, and i must say it has a great addition to the cinematic rain kiss.

darby o'gill and the little people - i'll bet you didn't know that leprechauns make excellent matchmakers did you? then again, if you have a young sean connery to work with how hard could it be? this movie takes a while to get going, but once it does it's a hoot! however, i'm not gonna lie, a lot of my enjoyment came from sean connery in his prime. wow that guy was a fox! and his irish accent wasn't so bad either!

finian's rainbow - a delightful musical featuring a leprechaun and the pot of gold which was stolen from him. i didn't get a chance to re-watch this before the post so my memory of the film is quite faint, but it is a likable, fun film from what i recall.

gangs of new york - if you have always wondered what it would be like to hear leonardo dicaprio and cameron diaz attempt fake irish accents, gangs of new york is the film for you! this film is thrilling, tense, and features an incredible performance from daniel day lewis (wow what a shocker). it runs a little long for my taste and is really violent ... but all in the name of irish pride right?

the fugitive - sure this isn't the most irish, leprechaun filled, lucky film ... but if you want a memorable cinematic st. patrick's day, look no further than the fugitive. one of the finest scenes in the film takes place during a st. patrick's day parade. it may seem like a bit of a stretch to be included on the list ... but that sequence alone is so good it warrants its inclusion. plus they dyed the river green! how cool is that!?

THE MEH:

leap year/p.s i love you - desperate times call for desperate measures. i would never really recommend either of these generic rom-coms (although leap year is probably the more tolerable of the two in my opinion). what do these two films have to offer that are relevant to this list? breathtakingly beautiful cinematography of the emerald isle. so if you just want some travel eye candy, put one of these on and put it on mute ...

just my luck - yep ... it's come to this ... my st. patrick's list couldn't be complete without a movie dedicated to luck. but the only one that came to mind was this silly film. but hey, it's a nice opportunity to see lindsay lohan right before she became un-bankable and on the path to melt down city. the real reason this film is at all watchable though? chris pine.

THE UNSEEN:

the luck of the irish (1948) - not to be confused with the silly, made-for-tv disney film about a boy who had leprechaun roots ... this film stars tyrone power as a man with a leprechaun for a conscience (so that's where ralph wiggum got the idea!). don't ask me how or why ... but this conscience has to be ten times better than jiminy cricket!

top o' the mornin'/pot o' gold - two irish themed old time rom-coms. one features bing crosby and the other features jimmy stewart ... so take your pick!

well that's all i got ... have a wonderful st. patty's!!

///

what a wonderfully diverse list, and yet ALL about (used loosely here) st. patrick's day! i have one more recommendation for the list: the departed! this film has some of my favorite things in it: martin scorsese as director, leo! with a boston accent!, matt damon, and my favorite ... the one and only jack nicholson. oh and mark wahlberg. oh and an irish mob, which is how it found itself on this list. i really love this movie. best to catch it on tv because, like gangs of new york, it's uber-violent.

check these out (also this festive post) for YOself and lá sona st pádraig!

10 great love stories.

another from emily, of movies and mayhem

hello readers! valentine's day is less than a week away! i've been preparing for it on my blog with a variety of loooooove related lists, but saved my absolute favorite love stories (in the form of big screen movie couples) for courtney.

there are so many love stories to choose from, but there's just something special about these couples:

1. elizabeth bennet & mr darcy

from pride and prejudice

ok i'll admit this is pretty much the end all be all love story for me. i remember reading the novel in high school and i just could not put it down. jane austen really had so much insight into human nature and both the novel and film are full of it! i think keira knightley is absolutely perfect as elizabeth. she really gets the playfulness of the character down and seems completely down to earth. her interaction with matthew mcfayden's mr darcy, to me was like watching the pages come alive. they were perfect (not everything about the movie was) but their romance was just as beautiful and epic as it should have always been.

2. clementine & joel

from the eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

if you know me you know that (500) days of summer is my favorite relationship film, so it may be a shock that tom and summer are nowhere on this list, but they are too doomed for my taste. clementine and joel on the other hand have that small bit of hope that puts them right at number 2 on this list. sure they're messy, but they also share some beautifully real moments that make you hope that somehow this time will be different. they're not perfect, but somehow when they work they work.

3. han & leia

from star wars

ok, i really love anakin and padme too, but since their end was a little ... ahem ... less romantic, i didn't feel like i could include them. but it was inevitable that one star wars couple would make the list when it's coming from me. i love this couple. their witty banter never gets old. they're just straight up fun and classic.

4. satine & christian

from moulin rouge

baz, you've done it again. i love moulin rouge. i just love it! it's so unique and fresh ... there is really nothing quite like it, and this romance is all part of the beauty. i love christian's idealism of love and how it changes throughout the course of the film as he truly experiences the thing he's always dreamed. it's a beautiful story and nicole and ewan carry it off flawlessly.

5. superman & lois

from superman

their's is one of my favorite love stories ever. i just love the character of lois, and how strong she is in balancing the most powerful being on earth; that somehow she makes him feel human. truthfully, i do prefer how they've been portrayed on television than how they were handled in film ... but i'm hoping this changes with the release of man of steel.

6. jesse & celine

from before sunrise, before sunset, and before midnight

this is a truly interesting cinematic couple whose relationship we have been able to revisit 3 times over the course of 18 years. there's so much rich history between them, somehow they (and their relationship) seems so real. their connection is genuine and their conversations endlessly fascinating. though the years harden and change them, they are always interesting to watch.

7. tony & maria

from west side story

remember what i said about leo and claire? ditto that and more ... but really this couple is very special (i recently wrote about them here). the scene of them playing around the dress shop is one of the sweetest moments there is. too bad they had too much faith in people ... haha!

8. ilsa & rick

from casablanca

all it takes is a look between these two! their heart-wrenching romance is one for the ages. the ending is one of the most admirable in film history and their choice makes their love all the more powerful. sometimes real love is putting the best interest of someone else ahead of your own selfish desires.

9. edward scissorhands & kim

from edward scissorhands

beauty and the emo beast. so, this one is kind of an unusual pick ... but i really thought that johnny depp and winona ryder portrayed a very beautiful bond between these characters. there is a real sweetness in the story ... and well, i love it!

10. romeo & juliet

from baz lurhmann's romeo & juliet

leonardo dicaprio and claire danes had crazy amounts of chemistry in this adaptation by baz lurhmann. they really captured young love so well and yet were also able to make you feel the weight of the tragedy. this story has been done so many times, but is actually really hard to pull off without it feeling a bit shallow, and this one never felt that way to me.

well that's all. i know there are so many more ... but tune into my blog before valentine's day and maybe some other couples i missed will make an appearance in another post.

happy valentine's day!!

emily's 10 most anticipated films of 2013.

hello readers! new year, new movies to look forward to. i was going to keep the seasonal theme going and do new years movies, but at mid-month it hardly seems relevant anymore. plus there are even less good new years movies than there are thanksgiving films!

so instead, let's just celebrate the new year with my top ten most anticipated films of 2013:

1. the hobbit: the desolation of smaug
i know some people were disappointed by the first installment, but i absolutely adored it. i can't wait to spend some more time in middle earth! plus more smaug in the sequel can't be a bad thing!

2. man of steel
superman has been one of my favorite superheros for a long time (that may or may not have something to do with the fact that he is always played by an amazingly attractive man ...). it's about time he returned to the cinemas in the glory he deserves. brandon routh in superman returns was fine, but he was bogged down by a pretty redundant script. hopefully with nolan's participation this one will be on par with what he did for the batman franchise.

3. the great gatsby
i just LOVE good ol' baz lurhmann. moulin rouge is one of my favorites and i also adore romeo + juliet. i wasn't too keen on australia, so i'm hoping it's more along the lines of his other films ... and from the trailer it does indeed look that way. the cast is perfect and the visuals look spectacular. all the pieces are in place, but ... i AM wary of the score. really hoping i'll adore this one.

4. before midnight
richard linklater's (bernie) third installment in the best romantic series of all time! how many romantic series are there really? but in my opinion, before sunrise and sunset are some of the finest films about romance and relationships around. the scenery is fantastic, the dialogue fascinating and the chemistry between the two actors is always winsome. i can't wait to see what happens next!

5. star trek: into darkness
i loved jj abrams take on the first film in his star trek reboot and i can't wait to reunite with the characters again. the trailer looks fantastic and i'm always game for a good space journey (even if my first preference is ALWAYS star wars).

6. monster's university
okay just the promotional campaign they've put forward already makes me SO excited for this film (monsters university website)! i probably haven't been this excited about a pixar film since up. i'm still trying to keep my expectations low, but seriously this looks adorable.

7. frozen
looks like disney finally got the hint from princess and the frog and tangled that animated adaptations of beloved fairy tales is a GOOD thing! i can't wait to see their take on the snow queen!

8. the spectacular now
okay there are a lot of other movies i could have placed on this list, but i'm guilty of loving (500) days of summer so much that i just can't wait to see what the writing duo has up their sleeves next. the cast is solid and i'm hopeful this film, based off of a popular book, will be great.

9. pacific rim
this film seems to be on everyone's radar and so i'm putting it on mine. the trailer was pretty spectacular and i'm expecting this to be big!

10. oz: the great and powerful
i love sam raimi. the trailer looks kinda hit and miss, and the fact it's coming out in march isn't the best sign, but the cast is fantastic and the potential is there. i'm hoping it'll be an early surprise.

honorable mentions: thor, after earth, iron man 3, and anchorman: the legend continues.

**this is a wonderful list! can't wait for GATSBY!! it's one of my favorite books (did you know i have favorite books? weird right?), perfect cast, america in the 1920's!, and jay z is writing the score ... i'm dying. thanks emily for your time and effort; it's always appreciated. oh! and check out her most recent post about fictional movies, it's hilarious.

top ten christmas movies.

hello readers! pretty busy month for yours truly, so you'll have to settle for an abbreviated post from me this month. however, each movie on this list will be featured in my 25 days of christmas movies, so if you're interested in hearing my thoughts on each of them in detail you can find them there.

christmas is one of my favorite times of year (despite the icky snow) and there's just something fun about christmas movies. whether it be that they help us prep for the holiday or allow us to escape the weather and curl up on the couch they definitely make the season bright! in honor of this month i present to you my top ten favorite christmas movies:

1. it's a wonderful life

2. a christmas story

3. the muppet christmas carol

4. rudolph the red-nosed reindeer

5. elf

6. mickey's christmas carol

7. how the grinch stole christmas! (animated version)

8. home alone

9. the santa clause

10. national lampoon's christmas vacation

**check out emily's 25 days of christmas movies on her blog; a christmas movie/day!! what more could you want? also she's holding a great contest in conjunction with the series ... lend an eye and you may win a trip to the movies!

hey! look who's famous!

NEWSFLASH: the author of our monthly movie lists, emily from movies and mayhem, has just hit it BIG TIME!

her blog was featured on local news! check out the clip and then her blog for all things movies.

we love you emily!

movies for thanksgiving.

it feels as though it's been ages since we've heard from our movie expert emily. glad to have her back for this month's movie list. i'm always looking for festive films to watch between cooking and turkey and pie, and then cozied up by the fire. now thanks to emily i've got a list of ten! thanks gurl!

hello all! we're halfway through the month and on track to one of my favorite holidays of the year: thanksgiving! unfortunately, it's not one of hollywood's favorite holidays, which will be evident when you see how creative i had to be to get to ten films that could pass! one thing i learned is that thanksgiving is apparently not a kid-friendly holiday. which makes sense ... it's one you learn to appreciate more and more the older you get. but as such, most of the films i watched tended to have adult moments, so if you're trying to watch with the whole family i made a nice HEADS UP list for each film so you won't be caught off guard. let's get going!

1. planes, trains & automobiles
this is the ultimate thanksgiving movie because it shows that there is no place like home on thanksgiving. and you can definitely feel that in the very last scene. it's a funny buddy/road film throughout, but the last few minutes really make it worth it. HEADS UP: skip the scene at the rent a car place where f-bombs fly every other word.

2. a charlie brown thanksgiving

leave it to charlie brown (well, actually marcy in this case) to tell us the true meaning of a holiday. in this short film charlie brown totally botches up a thanksgiving meal he promised to make for peppermint patty, but in a heartwarming moment we pause to reflect that the point of this holiday is not just to stuff one's face with food, a part i admittedly love too, but to be with the ones we love and to show gratitude for the things we have. HEADS UP: it's charlie brown , it's clean. unless you wanna read more into peppermint patty and marcy's weird relationship.

3. pieces of april 

this is both a great film and a great thanksgiving film. who knew katie holmes could be a decent actress!? the family drama is so broken and real. there were a few moments that really made my heart ache! the film has a simple premise: estranged daughter april attempts to cook thanksgiving dinner for her family in her apartment in new york city. it's this simplicity that makes the film work as we feel april's desperation in trying to reach out to her family, and even if they don't see eye to eye, family is what thanksgiving is all about. HEADS UP: skip the scene where the mother and son are looking thorugh the photo album, oh and there's a quick sex scene.

4. hannah & her sisters 

thanksgiving acts as the bookends in this movie that follows the lives of three sisters. i don't want to give too much away, but the holiday definitely acts like a character in the film and subtly helps the characters put things into perspective. HEADS UP: there is an adulterous relationship, but nothing is ever shown, and an inappropriate sexual reference here and there.

5. avalon 

like hannah & her sisters, this was a film that was more an examination of life rather than the examination of just one holiday. but like hannah, a special emphasis on thanksgiving was placed as we got to see four different thanksgivings in the life of this family. this is because thanksgiving is the holiday that celebrates FAMILY more than any other holiday. the progression of the thanksgivings says so much on the state of the characters and their relationships with one another. until finally they're eating their thanksgiving dinner with their televisions as opposed to their extended families. HEADS UP: ... nothing to report.

6. home for the holidays

this movie is a little uneven, but it definitely gets the FEEL of thanksgiving and is devoted to it. plus it features a hunky dylan mcdermott (NEVER got the appeal until just recently, and now i can't get enough!) so that's definitely not a bad thing AT. ALL ... and the ending is great. HEADS UP: RDJ's character is gay and his sister has a problem with that and once provoked, calls him some pretty filthy names.

7. waitress

i cheated by including the next two. no it's not a thanksgiving film ... but it's a film about PIES, and that to me is what thanksgiving is all about. that and being grateful or something, which i think the movie definitely touches upon by the end. great film. HEADS UP: marital rape & adultery included.

8. pocahontas

there are not many films about PILGRIMS and indians getting along, but at least we have this very fictitious film to give us the warm fuzzies about some of the earliest settlers and their relationship with the natives. i didn't have the patience to sit through a new world, so we'll stick with this film about cherishing the land and loving our neighbors .... and trying not to destroy our neighbors. it's basically avatar. HEADS UP: NOTHING! it's a disney film! yippee!

9. dutch

this is pretty much the poor man's planes, trains & automobiles; an unlikely pair that can't stand each other, are forced on the road trip of their lives to get home for thanksgiving dinner to a pretty lady waiting at home. just change it so that one of them is a snot nosed, pre-teen brat (played by none other than ethan embry, the bass player in that thing you do!), and the other is ed o'neill (low brow humor included). it's not always a pleasant journey, but they do have the quiet moments that show what thanksgiving is all about, and the final reunion was surprisingly heartwarming. HEADS UP: just skip any scene where racy playing cards are involved.

10. son in law

yep, the list of thanksgiving movies is so sparse i have to include a pauly shore movie. PAULY SHORE! this movie is so ridiculous, but i can't say i didn't kinda enjoy it; a guilty pleasure at it's guiltiest. featuring all of your favorite forgotten 90's stars: tiffany amber thiessen and the guy who played perry white in lois & clark. HEADS UP: pauly doesn't have the cleanest vocab-u-larrrrrry (that as my impression of him) and there's a bit of lesbian PDA at the beginning of the film.

well that oughtta do it! i hope you enjoyed the list, and if i missed any i'd REALLY be interested to know, because getting ten was sure hard! happy thanksgiving! see you next month!

top 10 movies for halloween.

hello everyone! happy october! this is perhaps my favorite month of the year because it contains one of my absolute, most beloved holidays: halloween. so to get into the spooky spirit of halloween, i see nothing more fit than to discuss my favorite halloween movies of all time. 

1. psycho

psycho is alfred hitchcock's most famous, and arguably greatest film. this one is a masterpiece. i can't remember the first time i saw it, i just know that it has always been incredibly effective. it IS the horror film. it changed so much about film today and STILL manages to shock new audiences that watch it today (even if the notorious shower scene has been spoiled, it's power has never lessened). 

2. the sixth sense

this was another game-changing horror film for cinema. it proved once more the effectiveness of substance and story over gore. and of course its ending left people talking for months! i first saw it in theaters back in 1999 and i remember being struck with awe, and even after all this time it still holds up.

3. the shining

this is actually a more recent choice for me. i only just watched it last year for the first time (for shame i know), but as a film, i fell in love with it. the movie is incredibly fascinating, thrilling, and filled with fantastic performances. definitely deserving of its classic label, and a remarkable example of a horror film. as a bonus, i loved it even more due to the simpson's fantastic parody of it in their golden years.

4. the ring

i saw this film on a crisp halloween afternoon in 2002 with the very author of this blog. this has to be one of my favorite film-going memories of all time because both of us were absolutely terrified (though courtney was definitely more-so). i forced her to stay through the end, and i'm so glad that i did ... because i got the scare of my life and couldn't sleep a wink that night. though others will disagree, i think the film still holds up ... if for no other reason than its somber tone and effective performances.

5. drag me to hell

another film i remember watching vividly in theaters. i remember seeing the movie get incredible reviews so i was expecting something as scary and terrifying as the ring, but that's not exactly what i got ... i dragged my dad and my older brother clayton to the film. after the opening credits it was already clear this movie was unlike anything i'd ever seen, and NOT in the way i was thinking it'd be. it is gripping, yet outrageous and hilarious. almost like a cartoon. it's so unique and fantastic and made me laugh my head off while simultaneously grabbing the seat of the theater as hard as i could. nothing like it.

6. young frankenstein

to shake up the list let's add in a little bit of genius comedy. though i admit i've never seen blazing saddles, i can say that this is probably the best mel brooks film that i have had the pleasure of seeing. the comedy is crisp, the spoofs are superb, and the cast is having a ball.

7. hocus pocus

i remember as a kid growing up in the 90s how excited i was for this movie. in fact, i even remember having a dream about my family going to see it without me and i was DEVASTATED. this film celebrates the spirit of halloween perhaps better than any other film on the list. is is a masterpiece? no, but it's a kitschy, entertaining, fun little family film. and BONUS! a lot of the jokes are a lot funnier when you become an adult.

8. halloween

well you can't have a halloween movie list without halloween! the best and original slasher movie (unless you wanna argue psycho). the film is incredibly tense, and you can cut that tension with a knife ... or a wire hanger. jamie lee curtis (daughter of psycho's heroine janet leigh) makes a fantastic, strong heroine and mike myers (the character, not the actor) is pretty terrifying.

9. les diaboliques

another recent addition to my favorite horror film list. i saw this one in my french cinema class during my study abroad to paris and i immediately loved it. it's basically like the french equivalent to psycho. the film is full of suspense, but the finale is to die for (no pun intended).

10. beetlejuice

it was a real struggle to pick this number ten spot because there were so many good contenders to diversify this list (see honorable mentions below, where all my zombie favorites come it). but i felt like you can't do halloween films without tim burton. so i give this spot to beetlejuice. it's outrageous, completely entertaining, and michael keaton is fantastic as ... BEETLEJUICE! there i said it 3 times. he'll be coming back soon in sequel form unfortunately, but the film remains a weird cult classic that has a special place in my heart.

honorable mentions: the others,  zombieland, night of the living dead, shaun of the dead, and the haunting (original! not the terrible 90s remake)

*you may have noticed that emily's list is a lot like the list i posted last year; please note that this is just because these movies are the best! halloween movies. you can't miss em.
**also note that emily and i are big fans of clearplay while watching horror films.

now go be frightened.

top 10 back to school movies.

hello again! new month, new list!. this time i thought it'd be fun to honor september and tackle the subject of back to school movies. this was actually a really hard list to put in order, but hopefully my picks accurately reflect the theme. take to the comments below and let me know what you think or if i missed any!

1. ferris bueller's day off

okay, this movie doesn't scream "back to school" to me, partly because it's set towards the end of the school year. but i picked it for the top spot because, not only do i think it's the best movie on the list, i feel like it is the epitome of how i felt during school. no raging parties or crazy proms, just sheer and utter boredom, sitting in a classroom and dying a little bit inside, while other kids were making outrageous memories. i love love love this movie. read more of my thoughts here.

2. the breakfast club

i'm kind of cheating by putting this one on the list because i've seen most of it on tv at some point, but don't really remember it crystal clearly. i just know that when you think high school movie, you think breakfast club. it's got the cliques down, but turns them on their head when they actually look at each other as human beings rather than stereotypes.

3. school of rock

this movie is hilarious and features jack black at his finest. it's good clean fun and probably the best school next to hogwarts.

4. mean girls

this is a high school movie i relate with all too well. tina fey's script nails the high school catty drama and is incredibly hilarious at the same time. plus the movie is a good time capsule of seeing lindsay lohan before she went cuckoo.

5. dead poet's society

there are two kinds of school movies: comedies, and inspirational dramas. i usually hate the inspirational school dramas because their formula is so predictable that the movies write themselves. dead poet's society perhaps started it, but is so well made that it's forgiven; largely due to robin williams' performance. i'd say he is probably one of the best fictional teachers around.

6. flipped

this movie is a little gem that goes for the school age least covered in film: junior high! it's sweet and earnest. it covers all those angsty little feelings that tweens go through from both the male and the female perspective. you can read more thoughts here.

7. to sir with love

you gotta love sydney poitier. this falls in the inspirational school drama category, but again, is one of the better ones due to poitier's performance. the movie has a great message about respect and tolerance. definitely worth a watch.

8. clueless

the then modern adaptation of jane austen's emma has now become a time capsule for the outrageousness of the 90s ... more specifically, high school in the 90s. luckily it was never really that bad, but the movie is certainly entertaining and one of the more fun high school flicks around.

9. billy madison

i admit this is definitely not something for the more refined tastes out there. the movie is pretty crude and full of dumb humor. but i can't think of "back to school" without thinking of billy madison.

10. harry potter and the sorcerer's stone

the most magical school of all and in this film we see it for the first time, just as harry does. i'm sure if this was our school we'd be just as excited to go back every year.

*bonus - the original freaky friday

yeah, back in the day we all wished our parents would have known how bad we really had it. here we see that happen with hilarious results.

**bonus bonus - watch COMMUNITY!
not a movie, but this hilarious tv show spoofs any movie cliche possible all while celebrating life at a community college.

that's it for back to school movies. next month look for my top ten halloween movies. it's sure to be a spooky good time! til then!

***emily writes a monthly movie list for youarewhatyoulove. check out her blog and/or follow her on twitter!

introducing ...

- my dear friend of 13 years
- my dear roommate of 1 year
- wealth of film knowledge
- film blogger
- has a degree in film from byu
- hates driving less than 10 mph
- loves seeing kids watch movies in the backseat of their car; "i always try and see if i can guess what movie it is."
- loves (500) days of summer, the star wars saga, back to the future, the sixth sense, and better off dead in that order.
- has been so kind as to agree to create monthly movie lists for youarewhatyoulove.




when i think of summer, i think of good times, crazy adventures, family fun, and making the most out of beautiful nature. beaches and mountains are the place to be!

my top 10 movies for summer represent these feelings. while not every film on it may be a masterpiece, these movies epitomize what summer is all about. and since summer is sadly coming to a close, better get cracking ... these movies will help round out the glorious season.

1. jaws

2. the sandlot

3. national lampoons vacation (catch this one on tv for best results)

4. goonies

5. splash

6. one crazy summer

7. finding nemo

8. super 8

9. american graffiti

10. parent trap

*bonus - tiny toons summer vacation (because my brother and i would always watch this every summer and i loved it)

**too see more of emily, check out her blog, movies & mayhem, or follow her on twitter.