The Monday Movie Meme Returns! – An Officer and His Diamonds

The theme for this week’s Monday Movie Meme is inspired by my upcoming short film, Abyss. It is a story about marriage proposal gone wrong that leaves an Army officer stranded at a bus stop in Philadelphia. I’m not ready to do another military theme just yet, so let’s stick with one that is as simple as pie: Rules of Engagement.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies where someone proposes to his or her significant other. Here are my selections for this week’s theme.

Takers

One of the opening scenes in this movie feature a suave bank robber named Jake who proposes to his girlfriend while meeting up with her at a restaurant. “Proposal” is rather generous and better described as an offer -- he just slips a ring on her finger and she smiles before they enter a warm embrace. To tell you the truth, I don’t even remember this guy saying much before, during or after his proposal except “If you’ll have me” – I guess you don’t need to speak many words when you’re attractive and raking in millions from your heists – your mere presence, accompanied by a nice sized diamond, is communicative enough for a gal to accept your marriage offer.

Men of Honor

There is a scene in this movie where Carl Brashear proposes to his librarian tutor while chasing her on foot as she rides away in a taxicab. “Marry me Jo!” – He didn’t have a ring but who says he needed one? Those who’ve seen the movie might agree that Brashear’s (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.) attempt at upgrading his position with the librarian is, arguably, one of the most romantic gestures in films – at least, where proposals are concerned.

The Best Man

This movie features a book author who proposes to his girlfriend during a wedding reception – after planning a booty call with someone else in the days prior to his pal’s nuptials. I guess there’s nothing like a botched sex appointment with an old friend-slash-person of interest to make you realize that you really, actually love your partner so much want to get married! Heh.

Funny Lessons learned from these Monday Movie Meme selections:

You don’t need a ring to propose and can compensate for the lack of jewelry by presenting your case in a heartfelt manner – or in a setting where marriage is being celebrated. Having a ring, however, might grant you a get-out-of-asking free card where you don’t even have to verbalize it. Just whip out some jewelry and be cool. Hmm, this may be interesting enough to whip up a guest post around it. I shall find out.

What movies have YOU watched that feature marriage proposals?

Production Updates, Announcements and the Monday Movie Meme

After a brief hiatus, The Monday Movie Meme will return in two weeks, on January 28th. I’ve also narrowed the potential editors for my short film down to two guys, so one will hopefully be selected by this weekend. I’m currently logging (hours of) footage -- a tedious and sometimes frustrating, but necessary, task so as to aid in a smooth post-production process.

I’ve been assigned to devour the Oscars for The Lamb sometime between now and February 24th. I have to cover the Best Original Score category, so that should be fun.

Also, remember when I participated in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge last spring? Well,  a few months ago, I accepted an invitation to become a host for this year’s A to Z Challenge! That means I am among the 12 co-hosts for the 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge headed by the main host and founder, Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out. There are lots of administrative, organizing, developing, monitoring and general oversight duties that goes along with the hosting position but rather than bore you all with those details, I’m going to sum up the fun and most important part of this event...

The Blogging from A to Z Challenge is an annual blogathon that takes place in April where bloggers here and abroad post a blog every day centered on a different letter of the alphabet. Since its inception, the A to Z Challenge has been growing by the number of participants each year. There were well over 1,700 participants in 2012 and this year is expected to be bigger than ever. Anyone (yes, including YOU) can participate. More details can be found at the A to Z Blog. The sign-up list opens on January 30th.

Here are the Co-Hosts for the 2013 A to Z Challenge:

Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out
Tina Downey at Life is Good
Alex J. Cavanaugh
Damyanti Biswas at Amlokiblogs
Jeremy Hawkins at Retro Zombie
Shannon Lawrence at The Warrior Muse
Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs
DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude 2.0
Matthew MacNish at The QQQE
Konstanz Silverbow at No Thought Too Small
Nicole Ayers at The Madlab Post
Livia Peterson at Leave It to Livia
L. Diane Wolf at Spunk on a Stick

Last but not least, I will be introducing you all to the cast (and maybe a few crew members as well) of my short film, in the coming weeks. I also realized that the King Dong series slipped my mind over the holidays, so we will be revamping that as well. If there are any actors who you would like to nominate for a spotlight, let me know and I will get on it as soon as I can.

As always, thanks for reading. You guys (and gals) rock!

Marlon Wayans' New Movie Finds Laughter Amidst Horror #ahauntedhouse #nowplaying

“One of the greatest gifts you can give anybody is a smile” – Marlon Wayans

There’s no shortage of actors, producers, writers and directors who make films intended to gain awards, fame and fortune -- this is the movie business, after all. So while actor Maron Wayans is hoping for a big audience, his main goal, however, is to make people laugh. Last night, I attended a reception for the funny man’s latest flick “A Haunted House,” about a couple who encounters strange events after moving into their dream home.

The scenes in this film are infused with characteristics from modern-day horror films, which makes some fans quick to file it in the “Scary Movie” department but he insists that you think twice when categorizing it as a spoof picture. “It’s not a parody, it’s a Horror-Romantic Comedy with parody moments,” says Wayans.

Having watched “A Haunted House” at an advance screening in December 2012, I think that Wayans’ genre clarification holds some weight. This movie exceeded my expectations with a hilarious depiction of ghost whisperers, paranormal events, alternative lifestyles and the fears of what happens when a guy’s girlfriend moves in with him. Although “A Haunted House” channels themes from horror films such as “A Devil Inside” and “Paranormal Activity,” the overall plot of this Wayans production stands on its own.

I personally haven’t watched any of the horror movies that he bases some of the action on in his film, so my familiarity with a few does not extend beyond than their movie trailers. Yet, I still managed to not only follow the story in Marlon Wayans’ movie with ease but was also able to enjoy this film without much of any previous knowledge of the horror elements that underlie it -- which is something that I can appreciate. As the Oscar season kicks into gear to celebrate movies released in 2012 -- a year that, ironically, brought us sorrow via an elementary school shooting, Hurricane Sandy, “The Dark Knight Rises” massacre and related tragedies, we now get to start the New Year off with a happy face in 2013 -- thanks to a funny little movie called “A Haunted House.”

“A Haunted House” is now in Theaters!

Check your local listings for showtimes.

So tell me,
When was the last time YOU found yourself laughing hysterically at the movies?