Boy, I struggled with this one. There's just so many directions you can go. I mean, which friends are we talking about? My closest friends? Friendly acquaintances? A group of people I don't really want in my house that just so happen to be there and wanting to watch a movie? And then, there's the gender factor. Is this a mixed group? Because I have a complex about watching chick flicks with guys... And are we actually watching the movie, or are we drinking and talking and occasionally pausing to watch a Youtube video?
Sigh. After spending way too much time deliberating on a simple daily blogpost, I decided to just go with my instincts and pick...
When choosing a movie to watch with friends, (who I assume are going to talk through most of it) there are three important rules to follow:
1. Choose something gender neutral.
Here I go, gettin' on my sexist horse again...but if you know men and women, you know there are certain movie elements that are more appreciated by one sex than the other. If you put in something like Sex and the City 2, you're going to get cranky boys who will probably break off from the pack and start their own conversation about cars and sperm count and that local sports team. In the spirit of unity, pick a movie that has universal appeal. Which leads to...
2. Choose a big blockbuster hit.
There's a reason why certain movies are huge at the box office. And there's a reason certain movies do respectably well at the box office. Usually the Number 1 movie of the year is pretty damn good and, let me say it again, GENDER NEUTRAL. Universal appeal, that's all I'm sayin'.
3. Choose something at least five years old.
Not that the quality of American cinema has gone down hill since 2006...it's just, you want something EVERYBODY has already seen before. That way you don't get that one dumbass trying to shush everybody so they can listen to the dialogue. AND if you're going to pick a film from a popular franchise, pick the FIRST FILM, just in case that same dumbass doesn't know Darth Vader is Luke's father.
These simple rules are what led me to choose Raiders of the Lost Ark, the top grossing film of 1981 and the first in the mega-popular Indiana Jones quadrilogy. It's 1936 and Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones (Harrison Ford) is a professor of archaeology who enjoys the more hands on approach to his field of interest. Shortly after returning from an expedition thwarted by his long time rival René Belloq (Paul Freeman), Indy is sent on a mission to obtain the mystical Ark of the Covenant. With the help of his ex-flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) and his faithful sidekick Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), Indiana must find the Ark before those blasted Nazis use it to TAKE OVER THE WORLD!
Action. Adventure. Romance. History. Fantasy. Melting Nazis.
See? Something for everyone.
Andrew, that git, got it absolutely perfect with Pirates of the Caribbean. If given the choice you know some dUmb bItch gIrlfrIENd is going to pick the younger movie (Because you know she's the one who'll make her opinion known...I digress). Plus, Pirates has yet to reach full on Nerd Status the way other blockbuster hits have, which is why I chose Raiders over Star Wars or Spider-Man. Because this about universal appeal, damn it. It's about pleasing everybody. And if you're not pleased by Indiana Jones, then you can get the hell out of my house and go watch Coyote Ugly on your own time!
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