My favourite:

Swordfighting: The Princess Bride

Car chase: The Man who knew too little, The Blues Brothers, What’s Up Doc and the Italian Job

Scenery of Europe: The Bourne Identity

Dance Sequence: The Breakfast Club

Dress: Eowyn in LOTR or The Princess Bride

Moment of Suspense: The Pelican Brief- where they get in the car in the parking garage and you know the bomb is waiting to go off as soon as he turns on the ignition.

Music: Sense and Sensibility, Lord of the Rings, Waking Ned Devine

Lighting: Tristan and Isolde

Color: Hero

Comedy: Relative Values

Romance: Pride and Prejudice (the BBC 1986 version)

Legal Thriller: Runaway Jury

German film: The Lives of Others

Fairy Tale: Ashenbrodel

Musical: Newsies

Art Film: 13 Conversations about 1 Thing

Arranged

John and I watched this film this past weekend and really enjoyed it. It’s about an Orthodox Jewish woman and a Muslim woman who make friends teaching at the same school in New York partially because they are both going through the process of having their families arrange their marriages. It was a pretty fascinating glimpse into these religions and how they work in the modern world.

It’s hilarious in places (when Rochel has to go out on “dates” with all these potential husbands, none of whom are anywhere near good husband material) and angering in places (like when the principal harangues the girls for their modesty and morals).

While I obviously didn’t go through the arranged marriage process, I like that this film portayed it fairly. It didn’t say arranged marriages are evil or outdated and it also didn’t say that the process is easy or perfect. Instead it lets you think about what it would like to go through this experience yourself.

I feel like I really related to the characters of the two girls in the sense that the outside world doesn’t understand them. Doesn’t understand the modest clothes, the modest behaviour, doesn’t understand how they can be fulfilled or happy without partying, alcohol, illicit sex and drugs. Doesn’t understand that they want to obey these “rules” that others see as burdensome, unnecessary or even wrong. Doesn’t understand why they would listen to and obey their parents. It says it is ok to be unlike the rest of the world.

It was strange but fun to wrap my mind around the fact, that I, as a young Christian woman related to two religions that are totally different than mine. And that, after all, is the main theme of this movie “Friendship has no religion.” Underneath the headscarves, the various traditions and different ways of living daily life, people are still just people and you can always find something in others to relate to, even if at first glance it seems impossible.