Teddy In the Dark: Movies! Movies! Movies!

by Teddy Cecil, MHS 2004

( October 3, 2002) Unless you enjoy sitting in the dark by yourself, viewing a video usually involves picking a flick your companion won’t run out on. Here’s some advice for selecting a movie or video to watch with those special people in your life. (Sorry for stereotyping.)

Movies to see with your Mom: You have to be careful here. For example, the last movie I saw in a theatre with my mom was Sorority Boys, in which there are several explicit sexual situations (including great detail and realistic yelping noises). As you can imagine, I went through more than a few uncomfortable moments sitting there in the theatre next to her. Luckily, in that case, my Mom ended up loving the movie because it was so funny, but it goes to show you that you have to be careful. That is why this category exists -- to make sure you don’t regret seeing a movie with your mother. You have to be aware of other possible landmines, such as the types of tragic, violent and/or suspenseful movies that teens love so much. For example, my mom is so sensitive she cried when Darth Vader died. So, here are a few movies that will make her love you for all time.

**** An Affair To Remember: Cary Grant is great and most mothers seem to think he’s quite sexy. Mothers always seem to love this deep romance.

***Breakfast At Tiffany’s: Audrey Hepburn is awesome in one of her most famous pieces.

*****The Philadelphia Story: Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, and Jimmy Stewart are absolutely amazing in this hilarious romance.

Movies to see with your Dad: Dads are quite the opposite from moms, physically and mentally. My dad would have loved Sorority Boys too, but for other reasons than my mother. Dads generally don’t like to watch movies in which people just fall in love. They like movies that are escapist and you can watch over and over again without even blinking or showing any signs of intelligent life. So between Spielberg, Hitchcock, and Ridley Scott, you’ll find many movies that your papa will no doubt love. Here are some examples.

**** Saving Private Ryan: Spielberg’s best action/ war movie, although he hasn’t made that many.

*****Rear Window: Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly in definitely one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films.

****Alien: A futuristic alien and Sigourney Weaver -- what else is there to say?

Movies to see with your Guy Friends: Teen boys don’t usually need academy award-winning performances to be happy. We can survive on just explosions and people yelling for their lives. So, all you girls out there, if you want to earn a guy's respect, all you need to do is sacrifice two hours of a weekend night on one of these movies. Without a doubt, you will win his heart.

*****Terminator 2: Arnold Schwarzenegger is unstoppable in this amazing action movie.

**** The Matrix: A pretty cool plotted action movie with Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne. Also, this movies has unbeatable special effects.

***Showgirls: Any guy with testosterone likes this kind of movie.

Movies to see with your Lady Friends: Now this category is tricky. Girls are painfully hard to comprehend. Some men can go their entire lives without ever understanding them -- sad but true. After listening to many female discussions, I’ve come to conclude that there is no way of telling whether they’ll like a movie or not, unless of course Tom Hanks is in it. I was able to make this list only after tons of eavesdropping.

****When Harry Met Sally: Billy Crystal lives up to his potential in this comedy/romance.

***Legally Blond: Reese Witherspoon is hot in this movie.

*****Sleepless In Seattle: Tom Hanks is in it, and it’s really pretty funny, with some very poignant moments.

Movies to see with your Dog: Ruff, Ruff.

***See Spot Run: David Arquette and this dog make a surprisingly funny combo.

****Best in Show: Over hyped but still very well made and very funny.

****Homeward Bound: An instant classic.

Teddy Cecil is at Sophomore at Mamaroneck High School and a movie reviewer with the school newspaper, The Globe.

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