The Oscars (Anne Stuart)

For some reason I stayed up late and watched the Oscars last night. I had extremely strong opinions (I always do) even though I hadn't seen most of the movies yet. It takes a lot to get me into a movie theatre -- the nearest is 25 miles away and the only one with matinees and a wide variety is 70 miles away -- so I usually make do with videos. In the last year I've seen Casino Royale, Children of Men, Lyrics and Music, Pirates of the Caribbean 2 (which oddly enough I liked better than #1), and probably a few others which have now slipped my mind. And while I wanted to see Babel, The Departed, The Last King of Scotland, Pan's Labyrinth, and a dozen more, I've missed them.

I like a lot of bad movies -- Pirates 2, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Saint, tons more.

I hate a lot of good movies -- The Snapper, Big Night, Fargo (funny and brilliant but it leaves me with a yucky feeling).

But every now and then a movie is both brilliant and blows me away. And I'm assuming The Departed is going to do just that.

Your first task -- go to Blockbuster or whatever on-line service you use and rent Infernal Affairs. Not only do you get Andy Lau and Tony Leung looking gorgeous, you get the original movie The Departed was based on, and an absolutely brilliant piece of film-making. Good enough so that anything that comes from it has to be brilliant as well.

Your second task -- see a bad movie, just for fun. A movie everyone despises, one you expect absolutely nothing from (for instance, Ghost Rider) and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised.

And your third task -- see a movie that's totally different from what you usually watch. If you only see comedies, watch a heart-breaker. If you only like serious stuff, watch a slapstick comedy. Rent movies from Taiwan, Russia, Chile, France. If you took endless years of French, rent a French movie and turn off the subtitles. Hell, rent a Japanese movie and turn off the subtitles. It's amazing what you pick up anyway.

Movies and television got me through a tough childhood, and at best they feed my creativity and inspire me. At worst they give me a happy two hours of a different world, sometimes tragic, sometimes wonderful, sometimes terrifying.

Watch a movie today -- you'll be glad you did.

Some unexpected pleasures: No Way Back (as opposed to No Way Out) with Russell Crowe and Etsushi Toyokawa. The first season of La Femme Nikita. Harem with Nancy Travis and Omar Sharif (horrible and I love it). The Outsider with Timothy Daly. A Foreign Affair (early Billy Wilder) with John Lund and Jean Arthur. The Bitter Tea of General Yen (early Frank Capra and very strange).

Or if you're in the mood for comparisons: Shall We Dance (Japan) vs. Shall We Dance (USA). Seven Samurai vs. The Magnificent Seven. Breathless (France) vs. Breathless (USA).

Or just some lush, romantic favorite like Last of the Mohicans, Phantom of the Opera, Legends of the Fall (even though I hate that one). Something with beautiful men doing beautiful things.

Tell me about a movie I might have missed. Something I'd love to pieces. Movies are one of the great pleasures in life -- to quote Anthony Bourdain, "I'm hungry for more."