August 06, 2003

If wishes were movies . . .

I always rememeber when I was little and I would say, "I wish . . . " almost immediately my dad would say, "If wishes were horses, all men could ride." I am almost sure he didn't write that, but I don't remember the real source. It is just one of those things I think of anytime I am wishing for something. So, for what am I wishing? Oh, movies, I guess.

I started collecting movies about 3 or 4 years ago, because I wanted to remain as a participating consumer in the marketplace. Oh, of course, I buy food and paper goods, the three-pack of new underwear if I get too lazy to do some laundry for several weeks, but I seldom buy anything of any other nature. I have more clothes that I can possibly wear. I don't need anything, really. I have so much stuff already that I really don't know what to do with most of it. What I didn't have were movies. So, I decided to collect movies.

So, if you are actually collecting, does there not have to be some purpose to the collection? My aunt, the one that sends me stuff*, collects movies, too, but she is collecting all of John Wayne's movies. I wanted to go a different way. I actually have four collections: cult movies, sci-fi/superheroes, National Park documentaries, and my Best Picture collection.

I limit the first two categories to movies I like, mostly, and the National Park collection has at least one movie from every NP I have visited, except Crater Lake, because the gift shop closed just as I pulled up to the front door. I mean, it was not like I needed to do much but drive to an overlook and look at the lake. It is mostly a forest, the forest I had been driving through most of the afternoon. I was lucky to get there before the sun had set. But I digress, because this post is really about my quest to complete My Best Picture Collection:

Best Picture Collection: Red=I don't have or are not on order; V=VHS; D=DVD

[ ] 2003 Chicago (2002)
[V] 2002 Beautiful Mind, A (2001)
[V] 2001 Gladiator (2000)
[V] 2000 American Beauty (1999)
[V] 1999 Shakespeare in Love (1998)
[V] 1998 Titanic (1997)
[V] 1997 English Patient, The (1996)
[V] 1996 Braveheart (1995)
[V] 1995 Forrest Gump (1994)
[V] 1994 Schindler's List (1993)
[V] 1993 Unforgiven (1992)
[V] 1992 Silence of the Lambs, The (1991)
[V] 1991 Dances with Wolves (1990)
[V] 1990 Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
[V] 1989 Rain Man (1988)
[V] 1988 Last Emperor, The (1987)
[V] 1987 Platoon (1986)
[V] 1986 Out of Africa (1985)
[V] 1985 Amadeus (1984)
[V] 1984 Terms of Endearment (1983)
[ ] 1983 Gandhi (1982)
[V] 1982 Chariots of Fire (1981)
[V] 1981 Ordinary People (1980)
[ ] 1980 Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) *ON ORDER*
[V] 1979 Deer Hunter, The (1978)
[V] 1978 Annie Hall (1977)
[V] 1977 Rocky (1976)
[ ] 1976 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
[V] 1975 Godfather: Part II, The (1974)
[V] 1974 Sting, The (1973)
[V] 1973 Godfather, The (1972)
[ ] 1972 French Connection, The (1971)
[V] 1971 Patton (1970)
[V] 1970 Midnight Cowboy (1969)
[ ] 1969 Oliver! (1968)
[ ] 1968 In the Heat of the Night (1967)
[V] 1967 Man for All Seasons, A (1966)
[D] 1966 Sound of Music, The (1965)
[V] 1965 My Fair Lady (1964)
[ ] 1964 Tom Jones (1963)
[V] 1963 Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
[V] 1962 West Side Story (1961)
[V] 1961 Apartment, The (1960)
[V] 1960 Ben-Hur (1959)
[V] 1959 Gigi (1958)
[V] 1958 Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957)
[V] 1957 Around the World in Eighty Days (1956)
[V] 1956 Marty (1955)
[ ] 1955 On the Waterfront (1954)
[V] 1954 From Here to Eternity (1953)
[ ] 1953 Greatest Show on Earth, The (1952)
[V] 1952 American in Paris, An (1951)
[V] 1951 All About Eve (1950)
[V] 1950 All the King's Men (1949)
[V] 1949 Hamlet (1948)
[ ] 1948 Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
[ ] 1947 Best Years of Our Lives, The (1946)
[ ] 1946 Lost Weekend, The (1945)
[ ] 1945 Going My Way (1944) *ON ORDER*
[V] 1944 Casablanca (1942)
[V] 1943 Mrs. Miniver (1942)
[ ] 1942 How Green Was My Valley (1941)
[V] 1941 Rebecca (1940)
[V] 1940 Gone with the Wind (1939)
[V] 1939 You Can't Take It with You (1938)
[V] 1938 Life of Emile Zola, The (1937)
[V] 1937 Great Ziegfeld, The (1936)
[V] 1936 Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
[V] 1935 It Happened One Night (1934)
[V] 1934 Cavalcade (1933)
[V] 1932 Grand Hotel (1932)
[V] 1931 Cimarron (1931)
[V] 1930 all Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
[V] 1930 Broadway Melody, The (1929)
[V] 1929 Wings (1927)

I am getting close, really close. If anyone has a viewable copy, hopefully with the original box that they really don't have much use for, feel free to contact me about it.

*I only have that one aunt, but she is the one who sends me the periodic email barrages.

Posted by Tiger at August 6, 2003 06:13 PM | TrackBack
Comments

I have Oliver! and Tom Jones, but I'm keepin' 'em! (sorry!)

Posted by: Susie at August 6, 2003 07:54 PM

I will trade you all my duplicate baseball cards for them. And one old Beanie Baby™ that the dogs didn't chew up too bad. ;)

Posted by: Tiger at August 6, 2003 08:27 PM

Can't, really can't---at least not Tom Jones, but I'll think about Oliver!

Posted by: Susie at August 7, 2003 01:00 AM

No offense or anything Tiger, but collecting Documentaries about national parks may just be the most boring hobby ever.

Posted by: Collins at August 7, 2003 03:35 PM

I laughed so hard at that comment, John! I agree thant merely collecting the videos would be boring! It is not the videos that make the hobby fun. It is the travelling to and visitation of all those National Parks. I just buy the video instead of some stupid spoon, magnet, shot glass, or whatnot because watching the video can assist my recalling of my own memories of having visited the place. And sometimes they catch something that I did not personally see, or a season other than the one in which I visited. NPs so far: Yellowstone, Glacier, Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains, Mesa Verde, Hot Springs, Yosemite, King's Canyon, Sequoyia, Crater Lake, Grand Canyon, Canyonlands, Zion, Bryce, Capital Reef, Carlsbad Caverns, Wind Cave, Grand Teton, and Badlands. I think that is all, but then I am only going bt memory and do not have the movie collection before me to thumb through for reference.

Posted by: Tiger at August 7, 2003 04:05 PM