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Today’s Movie Clip O’ the Day comes from The Cabin in the Woods because it’s been my experience that the words / thoughts / energy we put out into the universe—good or bad—always come back to get us in the end.
Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin, where they get more than they bargained for, discovering the truth behind the cabin in the woods.
Don't watch the clip if this sort of thing (description at the bottom of the page) is upsetting. It really does cut right to the bone.
Today’s Movie Clip O’ the Day is gonna be a bit of a downer. Sorry about that, but while it’s true that life is replete with beauty, it’s also painful as fuck. And, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you choose to look at it) none of us will make it out unscathed. Not. A. One.
This is a clip from a documentary. It came to mind while I was scanning the day's news headlines. I saw a story about an abusive priest who'd essentially been sentenced to praying on it, after being found guilty of abuse. Well, praying on it in addition to being defrocked. Anyway, I’m sure you can imagine my immediate & acute outrage. Since I can't keep that sort of stuff rolling around in my head all day, I put it into a post.
Happy Saturday, everyone. And please, feel free to come back whenever you’re in need of a ray of sunshine to lift your spirits.
Documentary about Father Oliver O'Grady, a Catholic priest who was relocated to various parishes around the United States during the 1970s in an attempt by the Catholic Church to cover up his rape of dozens of children.
Today’s Movie Clip O’ the Day comes from Stand By Me because reputations don’t count for much if there’s no follow through.
Also, River Phoenix would have turned 51 today. Gone too soon and it still stings. When I was a kid, my room was covered in posters and the vast majority were of him. I was completely obsessed for a very long time. And then one day, poof, River was gone. Now that I think about it, he’s likely one of the reasons I have such high standards when it comes to acting. I need actors to put their backs into it for me to fully appreciate the movies I choose to watch. With my high standards though comes a deep appreciation of the work.
& thanks for all the great work.
Today’s Movie Clip O’ the Day comes from The Lost Boys because I remember being nine when I first saw this and then, from that moment on, daydreaming constantly about living in a beach town in California. Today I live in California, less than ten minutes from the beach. Before this, I lived 45 minutes from the actual beach town in The Lost Boys.
This boardwalk used to be my boardwalk and every time I really thought about it, I’d get giddy remembering 9-year-old me & my daydreams.
Never in my decades as a Virginian / Washingtonian did I think I’d ever actually end up out here. “I’m too East Coast for that,” I would tell myself. And yet, I’ve been a legitimate Californian coming up on 10 years now. Life is wild. Don’t bet on never.
Today’s Movie Clip O’ the Day comes from Home Alone because I miss John Candy, which is odd since I’d never met the man. What’s even more interesting is that I know I’m not the only one who can say that. Some people* really do give off top tier energy.
Thanks to TikTok (yes, there are fossils like me on TikTok), I was reminded that John Candy improvised most of his lines on the set of Home Alone. In fact, this entire scene was improvised. He was only on set for a single day. And what a good day it must have been.
*
Richard Donner April 24, 1930 - July 5, 2021
Today’s Movie Clip O’ the Day comes from the original Superman because we just lost Richard Donner the director. He also directed The Goonies, Lethal Weapon and Scrooged among many others. RIP and thank you for all those childhood memories which will live forever.
An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.
Today’s Movie Clip O’ the Day comes from Independence Day because what kind of American would I be if I didn’t share at least one completely unrealistic portrayal of patriotism on the internet today? To be fair, patriotism is often just as distorted in the real world. Anyway, here’s to hoping we don’t need the threat of interstellar war and annihilation to change our ways.
Good morning.
In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from the around the world, and you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind.
Mankind—that word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can’t be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests, perhaps faith that today is the 4th of July and you will once again be fighting for our freedom, not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution but from annihilation. We are fighting for our right to live, to exist. And should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday but as the day when the world declared in one voice, “We will not go quietly into the night. We will not vanish without a fight. We’re going to live on. We’re going to survive. Today we celebrate our independence day.”
Bonus Patriotism Points if you can name a specific subset of Americans who also fought for their “right to live, to exist” in this land that was made for you and meeeeee? 🎼🇺🇸
Today’s Movie Clip O’ the Day comes from French Kiss because I will quote this line until the day I die. And, there will likely always be someone within earshot who shoots me a WTF look when I do it. Ironically, those folks are the kind of people who end up with twitchy asses.
French Kiss is Meg Ryan and Kevin Klein at their rom-com best. It’s my current favorite in the genre and totally underrated in every way. I’d tell you to stream it but I’m not sure you can. I can’t stream it here in the US. I had to buy a physical copy. Totally worth it.
A woman flying to France to confront her straying fiance gets into trouble when the charming crook seated next to her uses her for smuggling.
Today’s Movie Clip O’ the Day comes from Selena because it IS exhausting, especially on days like today (Cinco de Mayo). Also, because I remember the precise moment I first saw this scene. I’d never felt more represented in a movie in my entire life. I got emotional quick and then immediately embarrassed. I didn’t want anyone in the theater to know I was about to spill a couple of tears during a scene which was clearly meant to be lighthearted. But, I’d finally seen my experience reflected back at me on the silver screen and that doesn’t happen often for Mexican chicks. For a movie nerd like me, this was huge. I’ll never forget it.
The true story of Selena, a Texas-born Tejano singer who rose from cult status to performing at the Astrodome, as well as having chart topping albums on the Latin music charts.
PS - By now I’m sure you’re well aware that Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence day. What you may not know is that the way we celebrate this holiday in the US has a lot to do with the American Civil War. So don’t let anyone tell you it’s not a real holiday. It is, at least for some of us.
Nothing beats the real Selena.
“Cinco de Mayo is part of the Latino experience of the American Civil War. It’s not about the Mexican experience.”
David E Hayes-Bautista, Director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the School of Medicine at UCLA.
I’m over here waiting for the announcement of the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial and all I can think about are the people on that jury, the real people behind those doors. I wonder what they’re doing with all the information that they’ve been bombarded with during this trial. I hope they’ve done the right thing. My heart is with the family of George Floyd. I cannot imagine the pain this is causing them, all that on top of the absolute horror of losing a loved one in such a traumatic, sudden and well-documented manner.
Today’s Movie Clip O’ the Day comes from 12 Angry Men because character is what we do behind closed doors, it’s what we say when we think no one is listening, it’s how we react when we’re caught off guard, what we do when we feel threatened.
A jury holdout attempts to prevent a miscarriage of justice by forcing his colleagues to reconsider the evidence.
Today’s Movie Clip O’ the Day comes from Unsane because reality is just as fragile as human life.
A young woman is involuntarily committed to a mental institution, where she is confronted by her greatest fear - but is it real or a product of her delusion?
Today’s Movie Clip O’ the Day comes from The Emperor’s New Groove because I love this movie despite its many problematic details (e.g. it takes place in Peru but there isn’t a single Latino in the cast 🤨). Nevertheless, it’s still hilarious. Plus, it’s a veritable showcase of Eartha Kitt’s voice, and she nails every single line like the goddamn legend she is.
Emperor Kuzco is turned into a llama by his ex-administrator Yzma, and must now regain his throne with the help of Pacha, the gentle llama herder.
Today’s Movie Clip O’ the Day comes from Moonlight because it’s Valentine’s day and on Valentine’s day we’re supposed to share love, right? Well one of the things I love is this movie, so I’m sharing.
When I think of perfection, art, what I look for when I go to the movies Moonlight is always among the movies that flashes before my eyes. And then there’s the score, the soundtrack, ‘Little’s Theme.’ JFC, there’s just so much. I wonder what it’s like to be as talented as the people who worked on this movie. It must feel amazing.
❤️
A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.
Today’s Movie Clip O’ the Day comes from The Best Man because, simply put, Black dramedies give me life. These movies make up a big chunk of my Comfort Movies list. And, The Best Man is one of my favorites in the genre. Plus Valentine’s is only a few days away, so why not take a peek at how ugly it can get before we drown ourselves in rose-colored romance?
Just before [his] best friend's wedding, the life of [a] Chicago writer becomes crazy when the friend guesses that [his] new book's story [is] based on his bride's fervent past.
P.S.
Today’s Movie Clip O’ the Day comes from Girl’s Trip because when you lose a real one, you lose a little bit of yourself.
And here’s a bonus clip because it is a comedy, the best female comedy if you ask me.
When four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there's enough dancing, drinking, brawling and romancing to make the Big Easy blush.
Today’s Movie Clip O’ the Day comes from Creed because you never know when it’ll be your turn to be the underdog.
The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.
I was reading up on the Robinhood debacle these past few days and it reminded me of something I couldn’t put my finger on. Today I figured out what that was.
The Big Short was exactly the explanation I needed for what happened with the housing market in 2008. Unfortunately for me, I bought my first place right before this all went down so I got burned too. Times were tough for a minute after that.
Today I saw that the Redditors who drove up the price on a few stocks including GameStop (and subsequently crashed a few hedge funds in the process) had been shut down by their Robinhood stock trading app. Today I wondered why the rules suddenly change when the “little guy” is winning. Sucks when people move the goalposts on you like that. I don’t know about you, but I’m rooting for Reddit.
In 2006-2007 a group of investors bet against the US mortgage market. In their research they discover how flawed and corrupt the market is.
