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Pastimes : What is YOUR Favorite Movie? And Why? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jeffrey Beckman who wrote (231)	7/1/2001 11:14:58 AM
From: Jeffrey Beckman	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 332

Top 20 Sports Movies of all Time 1. Rocky 2. Chariots of Fire 3. Pride of the Yankees 4. Field of Dreams 5. Brian Piccolo Story 6. Breaking Away 7. The Natural 8. The Billy Mills Story 9. On the Edge 10. Personal Best 11. Bull Durham 12. "Running" (Michael Douglas version) 13. Rocky-III 14. Remember the Titans 15. Mystery, Alaska 16. Hoop Dreams 17. Fear Strikes Out 18. Jim Thorpe, All American 19. The First Olympics 20. (tie) Pre, "The Other Pre movie", Tin Cup, Endurance, "The one with the 12 year old pitcher". Rocky-II, "Those Charley Sheen movies" (gg).

To: Jeffrey Beckman who wrote (231)	7/30/2001 12:41:02 PM
From: Jon Khymn	Respond to of 332

"As Good As it Gets". Saw that movie again yesterday. Man, it IS a great movie. Fisrt time, I think I saw this movie on the air plane. Didn't think it was a good movie then... Picked up so many new things watching the second time. The medical term for Jack's mental disorder is called "obsessive-compulsive disorder". An interesting review of the movie by the psycho doc. Per your recommendation, I'll try Nashville and Accidental Tourist this week. ******** As Good As It Gets? By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. Make it a priority in your movie-viewing lineup to see As Good As It Gets, a late 1997 film starring Jack Nicholson as Melvin and Helen Hunt as Carol. Melvin suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder as well as having a pretty horrible, non-social personality at the onset of the story. Carol is a waitress who gets inadvertently caught up in Melvin's life. Melvin, having written 62 romance novels, is not what you expect a romance-writer to be. Besides his disorder, which comes out within the first 10 minutes of the film, Melvin is a mean-spirited, vindictive soul who seems to hate most everyone. Want to learn more about OCD? Browse through our comprehensive listing of OCD resources. Except Carol. Carol is Melvin's "chosen" waitress and the only one who will wait on him for his daily meal at a local coffee shop. Why Carol does this thankless job is likely related to her own feelings of self-definition of a person forever meant to suffer. This movie excels not because it's a romantic comedy (it would be hard to come away from this movie thinking it is), nor because it portrays, in pretty realistic terms, one person's suffering with a mental disorder. Rather, it works because James L. Brooks, one of the most talented directors of our time, has put together a story which embraces a touching, but realistic, depiction of people trying to get along with one another in a modern age, warts and all. None of the characters, Melvin, Carol, and Simon (played by Greg Kinnear), the gay neighbor who gets brutalized in his own home, have a picturesque life. Melvin is a successful romance writer living in an upscale New York apartment building, yet he is liked by no one and no one likes him. Carol has to care for her asthmatic son to the point where she has no life of her own, living with her mother to boot. Simon's life is going well until he falls victim to a bad decision made by one of his friends, and suffers nearly total devastation, both physical and psychological. Melvin's obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has kept him relatively isolated and secluded most of his life. He has "poor people skills," as one might say, having done a very good job cutting himself off from as much social contact as possible. His escape is in his writing. This movie illustrates the complex role between a disorder, such as OCD, and one's personality and social development. Mental disorders don't occur in a vacuum and everyone will react differently to having one. Melvin's reaction, to retreat as much as possible from the world and emphasize all contact with others with as much sarcasm as possible, is one which is not unexpected nor completely out of the ordinary. This movie portrays, in a realistic manner, Melvin's slow struggle to move beyond his self-definition as someone who has a problem and sees himself as generally loathsome. We get the interchange between man and woman which seems to be heading for new heights, only to be taken crashing down again a moment later by an offhand remark. This is real life. Social relationships are most often characterized by a constant back and forth which is often unpredictable and sometimes, unhappy. Especially those relationships tainted by romantic tension. This isn't a mushy movie. It's not really a "feel good" one either. But you will come away from it thinking more about how people relate in general and understanding that people often have more potential than we give them credit for. Does love change all? Heck no, but you are reminded that feelings are a very powerful force in this world. If nothing else, caring for someone else can get the ball rolling toward treatment and recovery. Treat yourself to something special this week -- go see As Good As It Gets as soon as you get a chance. I bet you won't be disappointed!