MY TOP FIVE: Sick Day Movies

My sadly too ignored series of TOP FIVE pick-lists has been ignored far too long now. The past few weeks have been some of the most draining and busy of my life (you've probably noticed the lack of posts and reviews lately), with job commitments increasing and a fervent move out of our NoHo apartment into another NoHo apartment... all while fighting what felt like an impending plague. Finally taking a day to recuperate, I'm longing for the days when I could croak to my parents that "I'm too sick to go to school today...*cough*cough*" -- and lo' and behold, they'd call into the school and do the hard part for me.

Those were the days when you could score a Sick Day, even if you were in fact only feeling mildly unwell, and not feel a twinge of guilt about it. Curled up on a plush couch, surrounded by a taco of pillows and blankets (with my favorite snack of chips and salsa only an arm's reach away), I'd relax in front of the TV and cycle through my very favorite sick day movies.

We all have some, and they're special to you and you alone, because they were the movies that you got to choose without input from anyone. You were the sick one, dammit, you got to pick. For me, the following movies were (or are now) my go-to Sick Day Movies every single time...

5. The Fifth Element (1997)



This movie is silly and riotously fun. Bruce Willis as Corbin Dallas brings the humor and the action, and Mila Jovovich brings the weird. Wait. No, Gary Oldman brings the weird. Science fiction in general is a great genre to watch when you're feeling sick, and it's only made better when the plot and style is so totally out there like this one. It's blindly good entertainment, and I seriously can't get enough of it.

And if it were socially acceptable, I would name my daughter Leeloo Dallas Multipass.

MY TOP FIVE: Sexiest Movies

The movie box office this weekend was dominated by the phenomenon that is Fifty Shades of Grey, and regardless of your feelings about that particular movie (I shared my thoughts on Sunday), everyone loves a good sexy movie. The hope is that when you go to a movie that promises passion and chemistry (maybe even a little romance), it will actually deliver.

I saw a dozen or so articles this past week that touted "__ Movies Sexier Than Fifty Shades of Grey" with lists of, well... kinda pathetic recommendations. Movies that were romantic and mainstream, and a bit vanilla—not really sexy. That got me thinking about what I consider to be My Top Five Sexiest Movies, of which I had plenty to choose from. Movies that, and this goes without saying, I would recommend any day over Fifty Shades (not to add any hate!) if you're looking for something a bit more titillating.

Give these amazingly sexy movies a watch, and you'll know what I'm talking about:

5. Bound (1996)



Coming right out of her legendary performance in likely the least sexy movie of all time, Showgirls, Gina Gershon stars with cartoon-trapped-in-a-woman's-body, Jennifer Tilly, in the steamy crime thriller, Bound. This is the Wachowskis back when they were simply "The Wachowski Brothers" in their first directorial venture, and they knocked it out of the park. Violet (Tilly) plays the dutiful stay-at-home girlfriend to Caesar (Joe Pantoliano), a rough and brutal mafia goon. Complacent with life, Violent meets Corky (Gershon), an ex-con who drops by their apartment to perform some much needed plumbing work. No really!

Much to Violent's surprise, Corky's masculine energy pulls her in and they begin a heated, secret affair. Not only that, they decide to ban together to steal millions from Caesar's mob ties. The realistic lesbian love sequences are the reason Bound takes a place on this list. No fluff, no cheesy exaggerations... just the seductive pair that is Tilly and Gershon. I think every woman walked out of this movie wishing Gina Gershon would show up at their door with her toolbox.

MY TOP FIVE: Christmas Movies

For some people, Christmas is all about enjoying food with family, carols, maybe even some time enjoying the holiday cantata at church. But for me, it's always been a time to hunker down in pajamas, last minute present wrapping laid out on the floor, and my favorite Christmas flicks marathoning on the on TV screen—with my family sitting 'round, of course.

In celebration of this joyous holiday, I wanted to share my TOP FIVE Christmas Movies with you all. While there are more obscure ones out there (Mixed Nuts, anyone?), these are the ones that have stuck with me over the years, solidifying their place as the tops in my all-time fav list.

5.  It's a Wonderful Life (1946)



I'm watching this one as I type. Boy, is this movie so much more than most people remember. The life of small-towner with big dreams, George Bailey, as told through the eyes of his guardian angel... or rather, his prospective guardian angel. Christmas is at the movie's heart, but it goes far beyond the holiday. Most viewers remember this movie as the "What if I'd never been born?" fantasy scenario--but that is only the last couple of scenes of this epic story (one that is has legitimately been paid homage countless times on film and TV.)

This is my Dad's favorite Christmas movie, and for good reason. It challenges everyone to remember what the true meaning of Christmas is—not about presents and about what we can buy for our kids... but what we have to offer the world, and how we can sacrifice for others. What always struck me most was that sometimes those sacrifices aren't so easy to make. None of us are saints. In fact, sacrifices can truly do a number on our spirit, and that's what George's story tells us. That is, until we remember that when we are there for others, they may just come through for us. One of the best scenes doesn't have to do with Christmas at all: George tries to keep those investors of his Building & Loan from jumping ship by handing out loans from his own wedding fund. Brings tears to my eyes every time!

The one film on this list that I believe every single person should see before they die. And Donna Reed might just be the greatest wife in cinema history. (oh, fun fact! It's going to show up on the AFI Top 100 list at #20!)

MY TOP FIVE: Fiction Novels

I may have just announced this the other day, but I couldn't wait to post the first one! I figured I should have installment #1 of my "Top Five" series focus on something that doesn't tend to change too often. Favorite works of fiction!

Before compiling this list and writing the brief little comments on each, I didn't realize that my tastes aren't too varied. On the surface, all these look pretty different, but they're actually pretty similar in theme. Love and tragedy and a bit of comedy. All my favorite things. :)

Read below and see what made the top of my list—and be sure to tell me your thoughts, and what you'd put on your Top Five!

5. THE SIRENS OF TITAN — Kurt Vonnegut

“The worst thing that could possibly happen to anybody would be to not be used for anything by anyone.” 

I read this book 6 years ago, and it was the first of Vonnegut's that I had ever read (I know, I can't believe it took me so long, either). My sister was really affected by it, and she demanded I begin reading it immediately—so I did.

Written in 1959, Sirens tells the story of Malachi Constant, the richest man on a post-modern Earth, and his extraordinary luck. In the blink of an eye, Malachi is traveling from Earth through the solar system, where he finds himself embroiled in a Martian War. The sequences of events that follow affect his life in shocking ways (at least, shocking to us) and unfold without hesitation or care for the audience's sensitivities.

I don't want to spoil too many details of Malachi's exploits, as I feel that the non-nonchalance in which Vonnegut tells this tale is both humorous and tragic. Time passes in jumps, emotional connections are acknowledged and then pushed aside, and all the while, you are traveling towards a revelation with little to no idea where you'll end up. Vonnegut speaks with a curt poetry—as he does in all his novels, really—and explores science fiction in a unique and powerful way.

MY TOP FIVE

I'm planning a new, little series on this here blog to celebrate my love of all things LISTS. I sort of gravitate to social media mass posts of Top Ten lists which then force you to tag your friends and make them share theirs; yet still cringe a bit that it just adds to the Facebook spamming (we live in a Buzzfeed list world, after all!)

That's why I'm moving it here. I have had my "Top 5" or "Top 10" or "Top 100" lists for practically everything rattling around in my head since I was a kid, and I love the idea of sharing them, if only to then ask you what your favorites are. Lists are like my own little sub-hobby, whether it's writing them out or crossing them off.

Not sure how often I'll do this. Maybe once a week, or once a month. Maybe whenever I get the itch to scribble something down. Hopefully it'll be the start of a good share among friends! :)

xx

{photo via Andrea}