Monday Movie Meme - In Memory of Tina Downey

Today I ask you to join me in dedicating this week’s Monday Movie Meme to the memory of my dear A-to-Z Challenge co-host, Tina Downey, who passed away on Saturday. It is a shocking turn of events that I’m still trying to soak in, understand, and accept.

She was a brave woman, mother, daughter, wife and friend who found ways to encourage us all through laughter and discovery, all while fighting her own battles with health on many occasions. Before this past weekend, no one could have told me she wouldn’t be returning home from the hospital. That was out of the question, given the type of person she was – a survivor who always took the time to remind us that Life is Good.

A few days ago, Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh (along with Father Dragon Al) suggested that we unite in prayer; using the power of many to send healing thoughts to Tina “for one minute (or more) daily, exactly at the hour specified for your Time Zone, so all prayers/thoughts come out in synchrony.”

To celebrate Tina’s beacon of light that reached so many people during her time on this earth, I am lighting a candle for her on Saturday and sharing a photo of it with my readers and social networks. I welcome you to join me by lighting a candle where you are, in the name of Tina Downey. Let’s keep her memory alive by showing that she was a beacon of light to those who knew and cared for her, for we are lucky to have been a part of her world – online and offline.

In the meantime, share on your blog or in the comments section, movies featuring scenes where people turned to prayer and/or healing practices during trying times.

Here are my selections for this week’s theme – A Time of Healing for the Downey Family.

John Q

A frightened mother prays for a miracle for her son; who is in the ICU in need of a heart transplant, in this crime thriller starring Denzel Washington and Kimberly Elise.

What’s Love Got to Do with It?

A battered singer finds inner peace and strength through meditative chants, in this biographical music drama starring Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne and Vanessa Bell Calloway.

May the Downey family be blessed.

May Tina Downey rest in peace.

Will YOU light a candle for Tina?

What movies have YOU watched that feature prayer or healing practices during trying times?

The Best Friend Challenge - Movie Reviewers Value Empathy, Trust and Confidence

Want to know how to make a friendship last? Just ask Harry Potter, the young wizard whose friends stuck together long enough to land a spot among Roget Ebert's "Best Films of 2011!"Let’s face it; life can be pretty dull without good friends to share our joys, sorrows and odd experiences with, for however long they are around.

Then, there are best friends – a (seemingly) separate title within the friendship zone that is held to a higher standard than all other platonic relationships.

In the short narrative drama “ABYSS: The Greatest Proposal Ever,” a U.S. Army Officer named Eric Foster gets a rude awakening when his definition of what it means to be a good friend, let alone a best friend, differs with one of the closest people in his life.

Much like in the movies, our ideas about friendship vary but may still have a common thread depending on how we interact with each other. So, Shane at Film Actually and Sydney Aaliyah Michelle at Happiness, Passion, Love & Faith were kind enough to offer their insights on my question of the day:

What is the difference between a good friend and a best friend?

Personally, I define this by how the friendship is affected by absence. My closest friends don't live nearby and I'm not the best person at keeping in touch. So when it comes to my best friends, the true BFFs are the ones where we can reconnect easily after weeks (sometimes months) without communication and have it still feeling like we were never apart. Merely "good" friends on the other hand tend to need constant reinforcement/communication to maintain the friendship. – Shane 

I have several good friends -- some I've known all my life, some I've meet at school and at work and some I've meet online, but I only have one best friend. The best way I can distinguish my best friend over my good friends is I never hesitate about telling my best friend anything because no matter what I tell her, I know there will be no judgment and no criticism. – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle 

Can YOU name one movie your friends enjoy, that you refuse to watch?

What is YOUR definition of a good friend and that of a best friend?

*This post is part of my "BFF Q&A" series with LAMB members, authors, film festival goers, travelers and fun-loving figures in the blogging community. Sit back, relax and enjoy!

Monday Movie Meme - Ms. Officer...

Named after a favorite Lil’ Wayne song, the theme for this week’s Monday Movie Meme is influenced by a crime drama I watched over the weekend that had me wondering if Boston has a shortage of female cops.

Out of sheer curiosity, I then tried to figure out how many female movie characters, who were members of the police force, came to mind. This was no easy task, which brings us to our Monday Movie Meme theme: Ms. Officer

Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies featuring your favorite or most memorable women who are a part of law enforcement. This includes patrol cops, detectives, correctional officers and related workers involved in making arrests.

Here are my selections for this week’s Ms. Officer theme.

Miss Congeniality

An FBI agent goes undercover as a beauty pageant contestant to stop a terrorist attack, in this comedy starring Sandra Bullock, Benjamin Bratt and Michael Caine.

Stuck!

A cruel prison guard works her best at keeping a group of restless prisoners in line, throughout this women-in-prison drama starring Stacy Cunningham and Karen Black.

Firecracker

A police chief investigates a murder in her small town where traveling carnival shows and white picket fences hide years of child abuse and other shocking revelations, in this mystery drama starring Susan Traylor and Mike Patton.

What movies feature YOUR most memorable female cops?