Tuesday, May 11, 2004

Movies that make grown men cry...

Let's face it, I'm not ashamed to cry, though it doesn't happen a whole lot (only for funerals, bill payments, etc.). Still, after reflecting upon Chad's reminiscence about crying at the series conclusion of "The Wonder Years," it's made me wonder what movies/shows I've watched that have reduced me to a bawling lump of a man after watching them. Or...at least choked me up a bit.

So, here's a short list (in no order and none are 'girly' movies):

1. Star Trek 2 (when Spock died) - I was 11 years old and in a state of shock. I cried in the car on the way home.
2. Dances with Wolves - I watched this movie one Saturday afternoon, and it ruined my whole day. Never cried, but I was depressed for a long time.
3. Saving Private Ryan - If tears don't come to your eyes during the scene with the guy screaming "mama" while holding his own guts in his hands on Normandy beach, then you're not human. :-\. -OR- The ending, where Ryan's visiting the graves of the soldiers who saved his life. Movies like this make you cry because they make you think of the reality of war.
4. Independence Day - when the president's (Bill Pullman) wife died... Actually, this just made me think how I would manage if my own wife died one day, so I at least teared up.
5. Armageddon - when they wouldn't let Steve Buscemi ride the bomb (wait, that's not the scene I'm thinking of).
6. The Abyss - when they all thought Brigman was going to die in the Abyss 'cause he didn't have enough air left.
7. Terminator 2 - "I know now why you cry."
8. Pearl Harbor - No, not Danny, too...and the whole Pearl Harbor assault was tear-inducing, again b/c it depicted a real event.
9. Gladiator - Maximus sees his family again... "I shall see you again, my friend, but not yet...not yet."
10. Road to Perdition - could've been a happy ending, but they killed 'im.
11. Tears of the Sun - yikes...shocking depictions of atrocities in Africa.

Okay, see? No "Steel Magnolias" or "My Girl" on my list...why? 'Cause they didn't make me cry. If you're stuck watching a girly movie, you know that's they're designed to do that at places, so...being a man...I almost laugh when the sad part happens, because I knew it was coming. But...in a good action movie or movie about history, you don't feel as manipulated.

Other movies that made me cry for different reasons (i.e., they sucked, when I hoped they wouldn't):

1. Intolerable Cruelty - intolerable, yes.
2. Star Trek V - does it really need discussion?
3. 15 Minutes (with Robert DeNiro - what a waste of film)
4. Beverly Hills Ninja - with Chris Farley. It was like "Tommy Boy" meets the Karate Kid, and it sucked as you'd expect.

Okay, that's enough...I'm getting teary-eyed again. Can someone pass me a tissue?

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home