Cards. Scrabble. Any group activity in which a reasonable amount of internal struggle is acceptable.
Ramblers.
Nick Drake, Sea Wolf, Bob Dylan, Modest Mouse, Tom Petty, Tori Amos, Bruce Springsteen, soundtracks, Yanni, Stomp, Iron and Wine, Billy Joel, Peter Bjorn and John, Moldy Peaches, Neko Case, Nellie McKay, Coconut Records, The Detroit Cobras, Jim Noir.
Everything. Good, Bad. Big, Small. All genres. All eras. All movies. I still have a lot to learn, still have a lot of movies to watch. Here are some of my top movies, guilty pleasure movies, life-changing movies, and comfort movies (in no particular order, except for the first one): The Princess Bride, Fight Club, Gone with the Wind, Forrest Gump, I'm No Angel, Monsters Inc., The General, Philadelphia Story, Sin City, A Clockwork Orange, Star Wars episodes 4-6 (before they changed the music), Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Beverly Hills Cop 1 and 2, Lethal Weapon 1-3, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, When Harry Met Sally, Almost Famous, His Girl Friday, Vanilla Sky, Dogma, Good Will Hunting, Steel Magnolias, A League of Their Own, O Brother Where Art Thou, Ocean's 11, Oscar, Noises Off, The Aristocrats, Where the Heart Is, Joe Versus the Volcano, Maverick, The Money Pit, Ghostbusters 1 and 2, Catch-22, Clueless, Empire Records, 9 to 5, Love Actually, National Lampoon's Vacation, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, National Lampoon's Animal House, High Fidelity, Harold and Maude, Annie Hall, Addams Family, Casper, Up in Smoke, A Christmas Story, Scrooged, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Disney's animated Robin Hood, Meet Me in St. Louis, All About Eve, Psycho, Rear Window, Rope, Independence Day, Wayne's World, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Innerspace, Jaws, The World According to Garp, Supersize Me, Thelma and Louise, All Lord of the Rings, Kill Bill volumes 1 and 2, Splash, Just Like Heaven, The Matrix, The Beach, Elizabeth, American Psycho, Clerks, Braveheart, Die Hard, Die Harder, Three Men and a Baby, Stripes, Willow, The Dark Crystal, View from the Top, Big Trouble in Little China, Sliding Doors, Drop Dead Gorgeous, The Golden Child, Mission Impossible, Batman, Memphis Belle, Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, Father of the Bride 1 and 2, Mystic Pizza, Sunset Blvd., Cool Hand Luke, The Sting, Princess Mononoke, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Leaving Las Vegas, The Princess and the Warrior, Little Rascals, Horse Feathers, Armageddon, Quills, Aladdin, I Love Your Work, Election, Shakespeare in Love, Rock 'n Roll High School, Amelie, American Beauty, Centerstage, Memento, Seven, The Passion of the Christ, Good Morning Vietnam, The Virgin Suicides, Crocodile Dundee, Festen (1998, The Celebration), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Talented Mr. Ripley, X:1,2,+3, National Treasure, The Worst Witch, The Doors, Singin' in the Rain, The Beat, Waiting..., Batman Begins, Chicken Little, Brick, Casablanca, Return to Oz, Superman Returns, Cars, Little Miss Sunshine, Taxi Driver (I still don't like Scorsese, but whatever), V for Vendetta, The Science of Sleep, Stranger Than Fiction, The Professional, The Prestige, It's a Wonderful Life, Tootsie, The Holiday, Wonder Boys, Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend, The Triplets of Belleville, Sleeping Beauty, Swingers, Pan's Labyrinth, The Italian, Delicatessen, Nanny McPhee, 10 Things I Hate About You, 300, C.R.A.Z.Y., Spirited Away, The Graduate, Chocolat, Ed Wood, My Cousin Vinny, Now and Then, The Illusionist, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Paris Je T'aime, The Ice Storm, Born into Brothels, Word Wars (Wordplay may have the celebrities, but Word Wars has the heart.), Teen Witch, Natural Born Killers, Blame It on Fidel, 3:10 to Yuma, Igby Goes Down, Across the Universe, Moonstruck, Wristcutters: A Love Story, I'm Not There, There Will Be Blood, Romeo + Juliet, Juno, La Vie en Rose, Charlie Bartlett, Penelope, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Shoot 'Em Up, Sleepy Hollow, Fargo, The Neverending Story, Gummo, Romance and Cigarettes, Blade Runner, Tank Girl (the one that should've been, anyway), Sex and the City, Wall*E, Teeth. This is by no means a complete list...Suggestions?
Gilmore Girls (seasons 1-5), Full House, Sports Night, America's Funniest Home Videos, Dead Like Me, The Office, Punky Brewster, Roseanne (seasons 1-3), Sex and the City, My So-Called Life
My all time fave is The Princess Bride. Dark, full of wit, wrought with humor, ends with possibilities as opposed to "happily ever after." You end up loving and hating all of the characters, be it heroes or villians or an albino who feels he's stuck in a dead end job. The suspense is terrible and wonderful and the pay-offs are equally as great. Life will be better after you read this book.Aside from William Goldman, I also enjoy Judy Blume, Christopher Pike, one big one from Margaret Mitchell, and the occasional Chuck Palahniuk.
Mae West, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Capt. Jack Sparrow, George Wade, Michelangelo, Chris Knight, Han Solo, Clairee Belcher, Dr. Peter Venkman, Bud Cort, Elizabeth Imbrie, Noah Webster, Alma Reville, Dr. Temple Grandin.Oh, yes, and Leo Sayer:.. width="425" height="350">.. .. ....>