Every now and then I get a spending urge, or maybe a gift card, and decide to buy a DVD or CD… Scientific research should be done to look into whatever chemicals cause this urge, because they seem to effect memory as well, because every time I want to buy one, I can’t for the life of me remember anything on my mental list of movies or albums I hoped to pick up.

Last week, I managed alright, because I happened to find what are easily three of the best movies of the year last year in the 3 for $25 previously-viewed rack at the rental store: Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire, Serenity, and Cinderella Man (the last two of which are without question the two most disprespected movies of the year last year). But even those took a little thinking on my part.

I’ve been in this situation a dozen times, and every time I tell myself I’m going to make a list, but for one reason or another, I never do. So tonight I will. Why not? I have nothing else to do while procrastinating my packing any further (Yes, I’m moving this weekend. Only about a mile and half, though, so I’m not sweating it too much).

So here, just so I have it all in one place, are what I consider to be the must-buy movies of 2005. This shouldn’t be too hard to do, should it?

• Serenity
  — It’s official; The Princess Bride is no longer my favorite movie of all time. Sad, I know. Now go buy this film. (And yes, I mean buy, not rent. It needs to make some money to help us fans with our long shot chance at getting the show back in production)
• Narnia
  — Better than the book. Yes, you read that correctly.
• Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire
  — The best HP film so far. (Apart from Michael Gambon’s horrendous attempt at portraying Dumbledore. I cringe every time he is on screen.)
• Hitch
  — Was this really in 2005? It seems like longer ago. Brilliant movie.
• Cinderella Man
  — This deserved several Oscars.
• Pride & Prejudice
  — You love it or you hate. I thought it was marvelously well done, and I would argue is probably better than the 6-hour A&E version. (Only because I firmly believe “true-to-the-story” is more important than “true-to-the-book”)
• Honorable mentions:
  Crash, Batman Begins, Walk the Line, King Kong — Very, very well done, but not quite something I think I could watch over and over again. I’d buy any of these if I found a good deal.

There are probably one or two that deserve to be listed that weren’t, simply because I haven’t seen them yet. So there you go. My blabbering opinion. And now I have a list I can check next time I have $15 burning a hole in my pocket.

…And as of right now, Inside Man might make the list for 2006. We’ll have to wait and see.

I asked a girl out yesterday. Less than an hour after watching another guy do it. Which for some reason strikes me as oddly funny.

I don’t think it was too uncomfortable for her dealing with that twice in so short an amount of time (though she did say her conversation with him was awkward)… but I hope I don’t ever wind up in that odd kind of situation again.

(And if you’re curious, she turned us both down )

(Well I’d better write something, since I feel… odd… having Mic’s picture show up every time I’m here. I’m not sure she even actually noticed it, anyway.)

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I had dinner with a group of friends on Saturday, a few of which I hadn’t seen in several months. At one point, we were discussing the new Pride and Prejudice, when my friend Matt said, “Keith makes opinions like most people pour cement. There’s no point in arguing with him.”

I couldn’t help but laugh; I know I’m opinionated. And I tend to speak my opinion in absolutes. I’m not even going to come up with an example, because 90% of the people reading this will know exactly what I’m talking about. At dinner, my friend Julie replied, “But I like arguing with him, that’s what makes it fun!” She gets me. She, and many of my good friends, understand this about me: It’s banter. I don’t really think less of you if you disagree with me. (Well, OK, maybe some times I do… but my friends know the difference between serious opinion and banter opinion.)

But it’s interesting this came up, because it is something I have been thinking about lately. What about the people that don’t know me that well? Do they understand that I do it in jest? I don’t think they always do. Or even if they do, I’m sure not everybody appreciates it. And I don’t want to alienate potential friends over one piece of my personality because I fail to be understanding of theirs.

How do I balance this? Because it is a part of me. Should I subdue it in certain situations? And how do I do that out of love, without “burying” the real me? I mean, it’s part of who I am, and if you’re around me for, oh ten minutes, you’re going to see it (Three if we’re also with someone who likes to provoke me). Is it wrong to change yourself for others?

I was told this would increase traffic to my blog.

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Thanks Mic!

*Image used with out permission