So I saw a movie (The Postman) on the tube the other day, yeah, imagine me watching TV. Hardly ever happens. Anyway, there are a few movies that I have seen that if they are on TV it does not matter where they are in the movie I will stop and watch it to the end. I am sure you all have a few of those. Donna swears that she doesn't, well, as a matter of fact I do not think I have seen her deliberately watch a movie more than once. Unless of course I made her. Maybe Happy Gilmore. But then it could be just because I will watch that one over and over again.
I do not see the problem with this, well except for the fact that I have, and will, waste a lot of my life watching movies that I can, and do, quote from verbatim. Imagine how many times I could vaccuum the floor with that time, or paint the bathroom, or how many times I could take out the trash. Man, that is a lot, but I don't know why anyone would want to waste their time imagining that. What a waste of time. I would much rather spend that time wisely by watching Rudy for the three hundrenth time. Speaking of Rudy, it does not matter how many times it is for me seeing that movie when Rudy gets in that game at the end, BANG, man tears. That's right, I am man enough to admit it, I get a great big dose of the man tears. Also at the beginning when he takes his last shot, because he is a senior, at the coach in the beginning. Garner Andrews has addressed this at length on his blog, so I do not need to explain more than if you have a problem with man tears, you really need to adress your masculinity. Really. I will wait for you to adress it right now. Go ahead.
Good. Now that we have that out of the way. Some of the movies on this list when Tony Mutzenberger, of the US Army Mutzenberger's, and I lived in the same country. He would call me or I would call him and we would tune in to a show on our respective TV's and watch it together. That's right, we would watch Dumb and Dumber together over the phone. I am not lying. It was a great way to hang out with out leaving home. We used to live in Bismarck in the early nineties and would spend the evening surfing for one of those movies to watch together. Some may yell 'Pathetic' at this moment but I beg to differ. I would yell 'Genius'. Thanks, the Nobel Peace Prize is in the mail.
Soooooo the list list is not a short one but I think it is a good one... here I am listing things again. I will not go into any detail on these movies I will just list them and give a good estimate on how many times I have seen it... (the total times seen does not necessarily mean I have seen the whole thing that many times, just how many times I have stopped on it on TV for more than 30 minutes)
1. Rudy - at least a hundred, maybe two
2. Slapshot - about 50
3. Strange Brew - at least 150 (a lot of times in High School with Weiser, Mutz, and others)
4. Happy Gilmore - 50+
5. Bull Durham - 50+
6. Field of Dreams - 50+
7. Miracle - going on 20
8. Dumb and Dumber - 50+
9. Kingpin - goning on 50
10. The Postman - 40+
11. Wyatt Earp - 20
12. Tombstone - 30 (I'm your huckleberry)
13. Cable Guy - 25
14. Bowling for Columbine - 30
15. Waterworld - 20
16. Major League - at least 50
17. The Natural - 20
18. Dances With Wolves - 40 to 50
19. Something about Mary - 30
20. Untouchables - 25
21. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles - Every Thanksgiving at least twice
22. Ferris Bueller's Day Off - 30 +
23. Christmas Vacation - Every Christmas at least twice
24. Tin Cup, 3000 miles to Graceland, A Perfect World, (& I am ashamed to admit) The Bodyguard - around 20 each
That is not a complete list, I am sure I have left out a movie. I have already added several as I trying to write this story. So I think the reason why I can watch these movies so many times is because they are familiar, comfortable. There is an article explaining it in todays Edmonton Journal. Those guys must be getting nervous because they are stealing my ideas for stuff to write about. TundraTalk is taking over the world. Back on subject. Donna does not understand how I can wind down or relax watching TV. I guess how I describe it is that I need to not think at all when I relax. So when I have seen movies as many times as I have I do not have to think to watch them.
Now you may see a trend a bit on that list. You may now be yelling at your screen "Some of those movies Suck Peterson." "The Postman is TERRIBLE" Well I beg to differ. Mr. Kevin Costner is after all an Academy Award winner. I know he has taken a lot of heat for some of his later movie choices. Waterworld and the Postman are not Oscar winners, but winners in my book. The Postman is good. There really is nothing wrong with that movie. Sure the plot is predictable, and some of the acting is passable. But for good pure comfort movie fun, you cannot go wrong with this one.
Costner plays a guy who in the post apocolyptic world finds a postmans Jeep. Like the one Nick Chase used to have. He steals the dead postmans clothes and bag and uses it to get food and preferential treatment in the post nuclear world. The people are then inspired by the lie that he told them that the USA government is back operating and sending mail. They rally behind him against the clan of 8 to resotre the USA to it's former glory. AWESOME.
The bad guy, the leader of 8, has a bunch of rules that basically keep him in food and power. He is a dick. Costner kicks his ass at the end of the film and restores the United States of America. His sidekick is named Ford Lincoln Mercury. Cool. The thought on why a postman can unite everyone is that the Pony Express back in the day kept people in touch with each other and made them united. The leader of 8 did not want this, he wanted everyone in the dark so he could swoop in and take what he wants.
Near the end there is a cool cameo by Tom Petty. He basically plays himself. Cool. This movie is long, lots of character development. That has been a knock on Costner as of late because he likes to do thos long films like Dances With Wolves, which I saw in the theater three times. Wyatt Earp is also an epic. Tombstone is on my list also because it is pure Disney, short on facts but big on the bang. Wyatt Earp is more true to the actual story. So if you want to see the story the way it was, well at least closer, watch Wyatt Earp.
Costner has done some great westerns. Silverado is awesome. His sports films are also great. Bull Durham, Tin Cup, For the Love of the Game, and the best of them all Field of Dreams. I think the reason so many people rag on him is because they want to see the next Bull Durham, or Field of Dreams. He just can't make a blockbuster every time. So the critics get on him and they pan his film so bad that they affect the box office. People just stay away.
That is what happened to Waterworld. He got soo much bad press that there was no way he was going to make money on the film. It really isn't that bad. Dennis Hopper is great in that one. It is campy and fun. People took it to serious. "Dry Land. I've seen it! It exists!! Waterwolrd man, I have seen that movie a hundred times. it RULES!!!" - Jim Carrey in the cable guy.
The only thing I cannot explain to you is why I will sit thru Bodyguard. I don't really want to go there. Really. I guess I really do not need to defend why I like Costner, in fact Donna would like someone to come out and tell us why they hate him.
So the next time you see Postman on the tube, give it a go. Put your prejudices aside and just watch it. It will be addicting, I promise. I love the last scene with the kid handing the mail to the Postman as he rides by. Chills.
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