The Center Seat

As someone who takes cinema a titch more seriously than the average duck, I get a lot of requests for recommendations. This ranges from Dad calling me right before heading to the theater a few weeks ago, to my coworker Virgin Mother sitting in my office this morning until I emailed her a list of DVD recommendations.

It's always cool when someone respects your opinion. Often, though, I have to break out the anti- recommendations; it occasionally becomes necessary to talk my loved ones out of seeing a stinker. They don't always heed the warning, but at least they can never say I didn't warn them.

And with this in mind*, I'm starting a new feature: Friends Won't Let Friends See... It will be based on my solely objective estimation of a movie's potential putridity. Most of the time, I'll anti-recommend something I haven't (and won't) see**, based on what I've read, and my opinion of the trailer. On the occasion I did see something absolutely cruddy, I'll certainly include it.

One more thing... I don't really have an objective rating system for movies I've actually seen... so I will also not implement one here. Just take my advice, or leave it.

*I admit I was also inspired by the trailer for Meet Dave this weekend.
**No one has yet offered to pay me to see the dreck. ...Click here for the rest of this tasty post.

The Princess Bride is one of the most beloved movies for those of us who were precious little girls (or boys too, I guess) in the 80's. One catch: because of my limited exposure to then-current movies as a kid, this particular film geek didn't see it till she was eighteen.

Still. Totally. Amazing.

The great thing about The Princess Bride is... oh, who am I kidding? There are so many great things about The Princess Bride. I spent some time working through this with my friend Virgin Mother, and this is what we came up with:

1. "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
   Somehow Mandy Patinkin (who is totally not Spanish) brought this Castilian character impeccably to life on the screen. There was so much potential for cheeseballishness* with Inigo; on the contrary, Patinkin treats him with reverence, heart, and wit. The result is that we actually care about the guy instead of just laughing at his antics.
   
   
2. The Fire Swamp.
   It's the reconciliation scene for Westley and Buttercup, but there's plenty of humor and action (as well as story exposition), so it's never in danger of sinking in its own sappiness.
   
   
3. Andre the Giant.
   He was so sweet. And so huge. And so funny ("Anybody want a peanut?") And so perfect for the part. Also, I was just old enough at the time of his death to realize how tragic it was. So watching The Princess Bride is, in part, like looking at pictures of an old, dear friend.
   
   
4. The score.
   If you've never noticed this, next time you see The Princess Bride, listen to the music during the sword fights. It's freaking awesome.
   
   
5. The Bishop at the wedding.
   Mawwwaige. This was our toast at my little sis' first wedding.
   
   
6. Billy Crystal as Miracle Max.
   Seriously, an MLT doesn't sound like a bad idea for lunch. I wonder if you can get one of those anywhere in Minneapolis?
   
   
7. The interplay between the Grandfather (Peter Falk) and the Grandson (Fred Savage).
   It gave the movie a little bit of boy-cred, especially when the kid would balk at the "kissing parts". Plus, Savage is 2 ½ years older than me... so watching this movie always reminds me of how young I used to be. Sure, I didn't see it until I was a young adult, but whenever it comes on I somehow get tossed back into my eight-year-old self. And how often do you get to be eight again?
   

OK, so what did I miss? This is my official comment call for your favorite Princess Bride moment.

Oh, and did I mention? The Princess Bride is #20 on the 2008 Nayana's Top 100.

* It's my blog. Cheeseballishness is absolutely a word in the Center Seat universe. ...Click here for the rest of this tasty post.