30 Day Movie Challenge: Day #28

Day 28. Movie With Your Favorite Hero

I’ve used some of my favorite heroes for other categories but here are some others that I really do love.

• Gru in Despicable Me (2010)–When a criminal mastermind uses a trio of orphan girls as pawns for a grand scheme, he finds their love is profoundly changing him for the better. Starring the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig and Miranda Cosgrove. Besides just loving everything about this movie, Gru is one of my all-time favorite movie characters! He tries so hard to be a bad guy but he just has too big of a heart.

• Gracie Hart in Miss Congeniality (2000)–An FBI agent must go undercover in the Miss United States beauty pageant to prevent a group from bombing the event. Starring Sandra Bullock, Michael Caine and Benjamin Bratt. This movie is too freaking funny! Gracie Hart is a badass chick but in a really fun way. She’s just adorable!

• Slim in Enough (2002)–On the run from an abusive husband, a young mother begins to train herself to fight back. Starring Jennifer Lopez, Billy Campbell, Juliette Lewis and Noah Wyle. Here is a woman that doesn’t take any crap from anyone. She is so strong and really stands up for herself and her daughter.

• Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump (1994)–Forrest Gump, while not intelligent, has accidentally been present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny eludes him. Starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise and Sally Field. Even though he doesn’t always do things by thinking them through, Forrest has a great heart and always does things for others. He is an all around good guy.

• Erin Brockovich in Erin Brockovich (2000)–An unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city’s water supply. Directed for Steven Soderbergh. Starring Julia Roberts, Albert Finney and David Brisbin. The epitome of tough woman. She doesn’t let anyone tell her what to do. She stands for what is right even when no one else will.

What’s a movie with your favorite hero??

30 Day Movie Challenge: Day #14

Day 14. Favorite Documentary

I’ll admit that this is not my favorite genre of film. I find many of them informative but not always entertaining. I feel like I have to pay too much attention or that I’m being forced to watch the movie which makes me least likely to enjoy it. These are a few that I was actually entertained during or enjoyed for some reason.

• How to Die in Oregon (2011)–In 1994 Oregon became the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide. At the time, only Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands had legalized the practice. This film tells the stories of those most intimately involved with the practice today–terminally ill Oregonians, their families, doctors and friends–as well as the passage of an assisted suicide law in Washington State. Directed by Peter Richardson. I saw this at the Sydney International Film Festival two summers ago and it was one of the saddest and disturbing things I’ve ever seen. They weave the personal stories of the people wanting physician-assisted suicide with the legal aspect of it all. Truly touching.

• My Date with Drew (2004)–An everyman with $1,100 to his name decides to use the money and the next 30 days to get a date with the girl of his dreams…Drew Barrymore. Brian Herzlinger co-directs and stars. This guy is just sweet and naive enough for this to work. If it were anyone else, this whole journey would be boring or annoying. Also it seemed to come at exactly the right time. Now with all the social media, it would be too easy or just flat out ignored. You pull for this guy to meet Drew through the whole movie.

• Catfish (2010)–Young filmmakers document their colleague’s budding online friendship with a young woman and her family which leads to an unexpected series of discoveries. This was marketed as a scary/horror type movie. It actually focuses on how the internet becomes a facade for people who aren’t exactly happy with how their real lives are going. Your identity online can be completely different from who you really are and your online friends will believe it because they don’t really know you in the real world.

• Katy Perry: Part of Me (2012)–A documentary that chronicles Katy Perry’s life on and off-stage. I am a Katy Perry fan but after this movie, I loved her even more. The movie is more than just following her on tour. It explores her as a whole person: her journey to achieve her childhood dream, her family life and her relationship with Russell Brand. Seeing all these different sides to a superstar turns them into a real and relatable person to the public. I cried so much throughout this movie and found it super fun all at the same time.

• Super Size Me (2004)–While examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald’s food for one month. I’ve had to watch this in so many classes in high school and college that I’m pretty much over it but still figured I’d add it here since it is pretty eye opening. But the part that sticks out the most in my mind is when Morgan says that when he has kids, every time they pass a fast food restaurant, he’s gonna hit them so they won’t want to eat fast food. I thought that was pretty funny.

Do you have a favorite documentary??