<p>Kity, an escapist movie that doesn’t provide too much suspension of belief, you say. Kind of limits it.</p>
<p>Mulholland Drive
City of Women (or any Fellini)
The Aviator (someone else recommended and lots of other Scorcese’s - the new RS was cool).
Tin Drum
Hotel Rwanda
Wellsville</p>
<p>I Love “Armageddon” with Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck. Just too much fun and great characters.</p>
<p>Once again, all fine examples of the differences between the sexes! All of my"escapist" movies have slighly “different” themes. Here’s my take on the situation:</p>
<p>Exotic Location, Women: War-torn Europe during WW1 or some European country during the mid 1800s
Exotic Location, Men: The darkened hull of some space derelic, or the lower levels of the some evil Warlord’s impenetrable Fortress</p>
<p>Main Character, Women: Girl having to face an uphill battle over who she can marry, usually over class differences
Main Character, Men: Guy learning to deal with new-found superpowers. Does OK at first in a exciting scene where he saves the heroine, gets in trouble with a new “super-villain”, nearly dies, then defeats the super-villian wth some trick.</p>
<p>Romantic Comedy, Women: girl meets boy, girl hates boy, girl and boy have to do “something” hilarious together, girl and boy fall in love.
Romantic Comedy, Men: Action heroes plucky and cowardly male sidekick gets a crush on the heroines smart-alecky female sidekick. Both are there for comic relief and have the funniest lines in the movie. </p>
<p>Tragedy, Women: Boy and girl fall in love, one of them hides a secret illness that gives them only a little while to live, dies in the others arms only after telling the other to “go on with their life”.
Tragedy, Men: Heroes plucky side kick is killed by the bad guys. Hero goes into rampage and kills A LOT of bad guys!</p>
<p>Action, Women: Boy and girl go horseback riding together
Action, Men: Explosions. LOTS and LOTS of explosions</p>
<p>Drama, Women: The stars just can’t seem to align in order to get the boy and girl together. Girl pours her heart outto her best friend, smart-alecky side-kick or parents
Drama, Men: Hero hugs heroine close, kisses her and admits he loves her. Then walks off to face the hordes of invading space zombies alone.</p>
<p>Climax, Women: Boy and girl rush into each others arms, usally on some hilltop overlooking the ocean. Admit they love each other, then kiss passionately.
Climax, Men: More Explosions. A LOT more! Hero may die (see, Extended Tragedy: Men), but usually he walks away into the sunset, only after some “new” secret is revealed that will make up the plot for the sequel. </p>
<p>I’m sure there are more examples, mostly dealing with how loud the music and background noise is during different scenes.</p>
<p>Off to watch my “ultimate” escapist movie: The Magnificent Seven
(Dum, Dum-da-Dum, Dum-Da-Dum-Dum-Dum)</p>
<p>sevenhills - sounds like you like the creepy stuff! Haven’t seen Tin Drum or City of Women, but those others all have a sense of forboding throughout & IIRC, none actually end w/ a positive, uplifting resolution!</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, I love a good thriller (the more twists & turns, the better!), but I do like being “happy” at the end. When there’s a good twist at the end at an otherwise “gloomy” movie it can be uplifting, but don’t most of those you listed sort of fall off at the end?</p>
<p>Not being critical at all - just marveling at the diffs in our tastes (I don’t “dislike” the ones you mentioned tho’).</p>
<p>Bullet - GREAT post! You nailed it completely!</p>
<p>P.S. Magnificent Seven is great - almost as good as The Great Escape!</p>
<p>In your shoes I’d probably go on an old movie kick - something like all those Broadway Melody movies or Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. If you liked Master and Commander you might try the Hornblower series - it was on TV but it’s quite episodic and there’s an older movie too: 1951’s Captain Horatio Hornblower with Gregory Peck. How about The Right Stuff or Apollo 13? Or some of those old Frank Capra movies like Meet John Doe?</p>
<p>Someone earlier in the thread suggested Sliding Doors. I loved the way it plays with time - though it’s a bit of a chick flick. Movies like that - that sort of play with the idea of making movies at the same time they tell a story: Memento, Betrayal (both tell the story backwards), Being John Malkovich, Ground Hog Day, The Truman Show, Pleasantville, Purple Rose of Cairo.</p>
<h1>24 I viewed those movies more as multi-dimensional and intellectually interesting on multiple levels - right and left brain. I did cry for 3 days after seeing Hotel Rwanda, but threw that in since Kity’s daughter is in Africa, and thought she might find it interesting.</h1>
<p>Two of my favorite escape movies–have Jamie Lee Curtis in them.</p>
<p>Freaky Friday and True Lies (with Arnold Schwarzeneggar). TL is such a hoot.</p>
<p>I also love Jackie Chan…the Rush Hour movies are a great mix of humor and fabulous stunts!</p>
<p>Speaking of Bullet, how about “Bullet”? Definitely not a chick flick.</p>
<p>Speaking of Ray Milland, “The Big Clock” has always been one of my classic favorites. But you may need Netflix because I’ve never seen it at a Blockbuster.</p>
<p>Try the movie: Stranger than Fiction Not many people saw it and its pretty darn good. It is also out on DVD right now.</p>
<p>“The Family Stone” was cute and kind of escapist.</p>
<p>“French Kiss” w/Meg Ryan (great escapist lead) & Kevin Kline (talented) is good also.</p>
<p>Any of the “Bourne” movies are very engaging (Matt Damon is an excellent actor–good writing, too). Hubs & wives can definitely enjoy those together.</p>
<p>Also–we like all the Harry Potter movies.</p>
<p>“What Women Want” w/Mel Gibson & Helen Hunt was funny (macho guy can suddenly read women’s minds).</p>
<p>FarmDad,</p>
<p>Mentioning me with Steve McQueen’s “Bullit”. Please, I’m not worthy!! :)</p>
<p>But I would LOOOOOOVE owning that car!</p>
<p>Kity, an escapist movie that doesn’t provide too much suspension of belief, you say. Kind of limits it. </p>
<p>I know- I am really a PITA at the movies. But I don’t do it on purpose.
One quirk I think that is associated with maybe my dyspraxia is that I see the whole picture & dialogue that isn’t believable, or an obvious storyline when the " surprise" is supposed to be a big part of the draw ( like with the Sixth Sense- the ending was very obvious to me in the first 1/3rd of the movie), makes me fidget in my seat.</p>
<p>But many of these suggestions are right on.</p>
<p>I watched A Good Year last night ( although I’m sure the cinematography would be much more impressive on the big screen than on my 15" laptop 
), & while I liked it- it seemed like it couldn’t decide what sort of movie to be.
Maybe it would have been better as a two parter like Jean de Florette.
( I did enjoy the music videos in the extras- Crowe has a good singing voice- they were fun!)</p>
<p>I love The Dish although I haven’t seen the Aviator, maybe that will be the next one.</p>
<p>Amalie is great too & ya know what movie I really used to like? ( to watch Christopher Lambert, I ignored my believability requirement)
[Iv’e</a> just seen the first one)](<a href=“http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091203/]Iv’e”>Highlander (1986) - IMDb)</p>
<p>D isn’t in Africa right now ( she is working @ summer camp) and we did both see Hotel Rwanda & also Crash together ( I’ve been watching for Don Cheadle ever since I saw him in Picket Fences & I recommend Devil in a Blue Dress- he nailed his character) and they both were excellent, but hard to watch.</p>
<p>( Especially Hotel Rwanda, because I read about the genocide in Mother Jones in 1994, and couldn’t believe that it didn’t get more publicity at the time- I also had been tutoring some kids at D’s school, who were from the Sudan, and had been orphaned- heartwrenching)</p>
<p>I hadn’t seen Little Miss Sunshine, even though I have been a fan of Alan Arkin since I saw him in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter ( which still isn’t out on DVD 
) I still think he is sexy - Maybe I will rent The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming-</p>
<p>Lieutenant Rozanov:It is necessary for you to remain in this house at most vigorously for short time only. *
Walt Whittaker: Well, we’re not going anywhere but… *
Lieutenant Rozanov: *Good! Please to remain absolutely good behaved so that this man, marksman of prize winning caliber, will not have the necessity of shooting you to small pieces! *
Lieutenant Rozanov: [in Russian to Kolchin] Watch them. *
[points to Peter]
Lieutenant Rozanov: [in Russian] And especially watch that little ■■■■■■■ too. *
:D</p>
<p>The Barbarian Invasions (2003) - in French with English subtitles. One of the best movies I have watched in years.</p>
<p>Becoming Jane - I cried.</p>
<p>Death at a Funeral - much more funny than I thought it would be.</p>
<p>A Beautiful Mind - I read the book after seeing the movie.</p>
<p>Finding Neverland</p>
<p>The Merchant of Venice (2004)</p>
<p>The Jane Austen Book Club</p>
<p>Elizabeth: The Golden Age</p>
<p>Marie Antoinette</p>
<p>Hotel Rwanda</p>
<p>Rabbit Proof Fence - an excellent movie</p>
<p>The Winslow Boy</p>
<p>If you want series suggestions:</p>
<p>Daybreak - I had never heard of this series. Very tightly written.</p>
<p>The Lost Room - I was hooked after the first episode.</p>
<p>The Wire - start with Season 1.</p>
<p>The Shield - start with Season 1.</p>
<p>And then there is always anything by Quentin Taratino.</p>
<p>I did just watch Death at a Funeral- I would recommend The Station Agent featuring Peter Dinklage ( who played the " grieving" friend with photos in Death at a Funeral)</p>
<p>WCM - like your list - just watched Pulp Fiction a couple nights ago.</p>
<p>Kity - not a PITA - the choices today are awful. Have you read “A Long Way Gone”, by the Sierra Leone child soldier?</p>
<p>Can’t remember the name of the movie, but the lead actor, an Italian, recently died. It won for best foreign film a few years ago. Father is a waiter, and eventually he and his son are placed in a concentration camp. The father convinces the son they are playing throughout the movie until liberation. Great acting.</p>
<p>Babel is another favorite, that I thought of when you mentioned Crash.</p>
<p>Lost in Translation</p>
<p>well, ek - AGY WOULD be much better on a bigger screen than a laptop. Maybe I like it more than you did b/c I lived in Europe for several yrs. It took me back in many ways - the landscape, the people & their attitude about liffe, etc.</p>
<p>Love “The Right Stuff” mentioned earlier, “Finding Neverland” and some of the others suggested.</p>
<p>I just recently watched “Pride & Prejudice” w/ whatshername from “Pirates”. I didn’t think I was going to like it much (even tho’ I liked “Howard’s End”, “Sense & Sensibility”, “A Room With a View”, etc.) as I thought it would move too slow, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and even sat thru it a 2nd time.</p>
<p>Kiera Knightly. :)</p>
<p>Has anyone else out there seen “The Wings of the Dove” based on a Henry James novel? Has another actress from those Merchant Ivory movies who I can’t name now, but I loved that movie - of course part of it is filmed in Venice so it got extra points.</p>
<p>sevenhills - the name of that movie to which you are referring is “It’s a Beautiful Life”. If you’re gonna watch that one, may I suggest watching it in the original Italian w/ subtitles - it makes an incredible difference in the experience.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Helena Bonham Carter. She was also wonderful in A Room with a View and Howards End.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It’s actually “Life is Beautiful”. :)</p>
<p>Oh yes - Booklady, thank you. I can’t believe I got those mixed up!</p>
<p>But…“It’s a Beautiful Life” is good too! :o</p>