your experience as a parent still doesn't change the fact that many non-parents are better than parents at protecting children from danger.

you forgot obviously

percentages

1% of the US population is 3.1 million morons. Is that many?

1% of the US married and cohabitating with spouse and at least one child under 18 is 840,000. Is that many?

being an uncle >>>>>>>>>>>>> being a dad imo

trying to get my point at least acknowledged (and not the point that LKJ thinks I was trying to make)

Vintage...how do you really know for fact that uncle>>>>>>>>>dad?

I have acrophobia. Pretty sure I would not like to skydive even though many say it's a rush of a lifetime. MY point is that I would say "I don't think I would like skydiving" not "I don't like skydiving".

U seem dumb

nicely dodged.

You do though.

Did I say something that is directly comparable to "I don't like having kids"? I said I didn't want them (at least at this time). That isn't me saying something I know nothing about; that is simply me expressing an active lack of desire for something.

If I said I didn't want to skydive, and an enthusiast of skydiving told me that I was missing out...meh, so be it. I might not believe them, but it would be a valid thing to say as an endorsement of the activity. But if they responded with, "You don't know that you don't want to! You haven't even done it!"...that's just stupid.

Just had one of my Facebook friends (who I don't like, but he's a classmate and I keep him in my feed because he posts the biggest ****ing trainwrecks of anyone that instantly get the entire school buzzing about his sheer insanity) post this status update:

While shopping for school supplies, I found that 90% of notebooks and folders have a teeny pop star like Justin Bieber or Miley Cyrus on the cover. I need something professional on my notebooks so I went with Hello Kitty. Now I feel ready for interviews.

So far...that has 32 likes. THIRTY ****ING TWO. I'm gonna go swallow some cyanide now.

LKJ's Favorite 10 Films of All Time, Part 6

5. As Good as It Gets



I got heat from FlyWf in the dating thread once upon a time for how terrible it was to somehow rank this above the almighty Good Will Hunting, because GWH is better AINEC or some such total nonsense, but As Good as It Gets is the nuts as far as dramedies go.

Again I think the romance gets too much of the press about this movie. Believe me, I'm not against a good romance, I'm probably more sympathetic to those types of movies than the average guy...but this movie was about a character transformation, and actually the climax of that character transformation really did come before the final scene. It was when he said, Best non-funny sequence in the movie: "I tell you, buddy…I’d be the luckiest guy alive if that did it for me." Any weirdo can fall for a pretty woman who brings him food, but for the obsessive compulsive xenophobe that started the movie to be offering shelter to his gay former neighbor in a time of need, that was really the pinnacle of his character becoming someone completely different.

But that paragraph doesn't focus on all of the great comedic moments.




I guess it should come as no surprise that I would be drawn to a movie with a lovable curmudgeon at the center of it.

wow, that makes me want to browse my friends for the highest liked status

Should I be insulted that a friend called me late enough that I thought it was something serious to tell me I had to watch As Good As it Gets because the Jack Nicholson character was me?

Well, he's easily one of my favorite characters ever, so I'm inclined to say no, but if you're OCD (like...truly OCD) and that's part of the comparison then that could be concerning. His character does go to the restaurant and eat the same damn thing every time too. Also goes after a younger woman.

But his straight-shooting wouldn't be anything to be ashamed of except for the fact that he's a huge xenophobe at the beginning and I don't think you're that.

I think it was just that I would go to the same pub and sit at the same table. Almost always had the same waitress and food rotated between three things on the menu. That and I was a bit of an ******* but that is it.

I have some OCD characteristics but no one is aware of those and i use to spend way too much time in gay clubs to be a xenophobe.

bump for the rest of the list. assuming godfather is #1 or at least top 3?

Yeah none of the rest of my list will surprise you at all, it gets pretty conventional at this point. But I'll do a write-up now.

LKJ's Favorite 10 Films of All Time, Part 7

4. Pulp Fiction



As a film snob, I rarely want to give that much credit to movies that don’t intellectually stimulate you…but Quentin Tarantino is great enough to break that wall down for me. You sit for two hours, you learn nothing, and you have a great time. I can’t feel that way about a movie with a bunch of stupid car chases, but Tarantino’s flicks are just amazingly entertaining, and Pulp Fiction is his opus. The dark comedic script here is just brilliant, and I’ve never seen better work out of Samuel L. Jackson or John Travolta. That's an actual compliment in Jackson's case, since I usually like him...Travolta I rarely like.

Obviously NSFW language in all clips.



(Travolta's character, while a dip**** during a lot of the movie, is totally right in that argument.)





Granted that the Bruce Willis sub-plot isn't nearly as good as the Travolta/Jackson stuff, but it's still entertaining. I could watch this movie endlessly.

LKJ's Favorite 10 Films of All Time, Part 8

3. The Shawshank Redemption



This film is certainly the quintessential example of one that became huge after gaining only a small percentage of its following during theater release. I think it deserves every bit of acclaim it has gotten, and it's simply unfortunate that it wasn't showered with Oscars also.

A couple of amazing things that I always notice about this movie is that it's the only great film I can think of that doesn't have a woman in any significant speaking role, and it's also the only great film I can think of that doesn't have basically any comedy in it. There are a couple of mild chuckles, but basically this is a lengthy movie with a slow pace and few laughs, and it's still completely engrossing from beginning to end.

Two of my favorite emotional scenes from it.



"I saw an automobile once when I was a kid" is such a brilliant line. In about two seconds, it illustrates to the viewer just what a difficulty someone would have in trying to reintegrate into society after spending 50 years in incarceration. For those agreeing with the prisoners in the conversation about the whole thing about how they could never get institutionalized, it adds a perspective. Being able to do it with simplicity and with that quick and concise of an impact is really good writing. Lloyd Bridges is perfect for his role and really puts his stamp on the movie.



That scene really gives a perfect feel for why Shawshank is undoubtedly the greatest bromance ever told.

One of the great film scores ever:

LKJ's Favorite 10 Films of All Time, Part 9

2. The Godfather



It's no secret how amazing I think this film is. Right away, I'm irritated that I can't find a YouTube of the fantastic scene of dialogue between Vito and Tom Hagen following Sonny's death. Robert Duvall's voice cracking perfectly, Vito's well-done reaction...that scene is an acting clinic. Love it so much.

In fact, I'm discovering that YouTubes are really hard to come by for this film...like actual scenes lifted from it. There are lots of fanvids.

Instead, I will post for you my basic reaction to anyone who fails to like this film or fails to have seen it.



Since it ties in, I'll just move along to...

1. The Godfather: Part II



I have long struggled with the question of which of these films is better. I find it difficult to label part two to be better; in modern movies, sequels are almost never better than the original, and when it comes to comedies the only value in a sequel existing is to find out that a person prefers the sequel and then labeling them to be an irredeemable idiot. However, part two of this does at least have some grounding in literature (the prequel part is lifted straight out of the original book, anyway) and I do see it as a richer, fuller, and actually a more honest film.

I think The Godfather is an easier first-time viewing experience. It's more accessible. There's never a slow moment, a compliment that I won't even give to the sequel as I do think that some of the Cuba stuff does drag ever-so-slightly. More than that, I'm resistant to calling part two better because it can't hold up all on its own the way part one does...it needs the backdrop of the prior movie.

But I like the overall darker tone of the sequel a lot. It makes the movie a more honest piece of art. Part I nearly glorifies the mafia lifestyle and makes a hero out of Michael Corleone. Part II gave a more real look at the characters and what they did. Tom Hagen's scenes are particularly sinister, after he somehow came off as the most likable guy in the world in the role of the greasy lawyer that represents a mob during part I. In this movie, even with his same slick tone, he oversees the killing of a prostitute and its use for political gain; he goes to an old friend and gently "suggests" that he go kill himself for the better fate of his family. All just excellent stuff.

I can't find many scenes as Paramount or whoever has zapped them into oblivion from YouTube. Thankfully I was able to find the boathouse scene, one of the truly great ones. I am glad I found this snippet, since it gives context to the avatar I gave Custer last month.



I'll be amazed (but obviously really happy) if any film can give The Godfather movies a serious run for being the greatest films of all time. Even as much love as I have for Shawshank, there's a pretty significant gap in between #2 and #3 on my list.

One thing is for sure... having kids certainly doesn't make you a good poster.

you wouldn't understand good posting unless you're a parent.

LKJ is just mad cause parents have an elite club he can't be part of

funny you put GFII ahead of GF. my friends and i were trying to think of sequels that were better than the original and GFII was one of two films that everyone agreed on.

i'll let you guess the other film

Rambo?