The best movie lines of all time?

The movie The Princess Bride has enchanted me since the time my sister Lisa urged me to watch it back in the 80's. As far as I'm concerned, when it comes to sheer entertainment value, this is pretty much the perfect movie. It has just about everything...a great story, fantasy, adventure, intrigue, a handsome hero and a beautiful heroine, humor (in spades), and of course...TRUE LOVE. (And I don't mean "to blave," either--and you'll only get what I mean if you've seen the movie.:))

Netscape.net today featured Entertainment Weekly's list (from a poll of their readers) of the top 12 movie lines of all time, and I wasn't surprised to see how many of them are from "The Princess Bride."

Here are just the top six:

1. "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
--Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) in "The Princess Bride"
2. "Inconceivable!" "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
--Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) in "The Princess Bride"
3. "Have fun storming the castle."
--Miracle Max (Billy Crystal) in "The Princess Bride"
4. "As you wish."
--Westley (Cary Elwes) in "The Princess Bride"
5. "I'll have what she's having."
--Female diner (Estelle Reiner) in "When Harry Met Sally"
6. "You had me at hello."
--Dorothy Boyd (Reneé Zellweger) in "Jerry Maguire"

Actually, there are a lot more lines from "The Princess Bride" that could have made the list. Like, "Never trust a Sicilian when death is on the line..." and one of my personal favorites when I'm incredibly busy: "I've got my country's five hundredth anniversary to plan, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder, and Guilder to frame for it. I'm swamped."

My daughter loves the scene where Westley wakes up in a dungeon and wonders where he is. Humperdinck's henchman says in a raspy, menacing voice, "The Pit of Despair." Then he clears his throat extensively and repeats in a completely normal, casual voice: "The pit of despair. Don't even think about trying to escape..."



And how many times when my kids were growing up, and I would issue an ultimatum ending with "I mean it!" did I get the obligatory: "Does anybody want a peanut?"

Honestly, I keep waiting for a movie to come along that charms me like "The Princess Bride," and nothing has ever quite done it since. To borrow a line from another movie..."it had me at hello."


*Sigh*...it's Monday...



...and time to answer the Monday Madness
questions:

1. Which is more fun, kid's toys or grown-up kid's toys? (ie. Lego's vs. power tools)--Probably kid's toys, because life is so much simpler when you're a kid.

2. What's your favorite food and why? Which food is your number one weakness?--Well, y'know, those are actually two different questions. To number one...I've tried to pin down my favorite food, and it's impossible...like asking someone what their favorite song is. There are too many variables, and just too much delicious food. A really good steak, turkey n' dressing, roast beef, an excellent pizza, topnotch Mexican food...see what I mean?

However, to question number 2...the answer is easy. Chocolate. Nuff said.


3. How many blogs/journals/diaries would you say you read?--Unfortunately, I don't make it to all of them every day...but I'd say at least ten regularly, and another ten or more semi-regularly.

4. Do you feel you have an obligation to spread your religious belief system to others, or do you think religion is a private matter that everyone needs to decide for themselves?--As a Christian, I believe the Bible teaches that it is at least my obligation to tell others about my faith. I can't force my Christianity on anyone...it's God's job to persuade them to make the ultimate decision. But yes, I am supposed to share my faith with others.

5. Did you keep a paper journal before blogging?--Not for years. I was a fanatic diarist when I was growing up, and kept copious journals almost all through college. Reading those diaries now is hilarious, by the way. The things I thought were so catastrophic and traumatic! I was such a drama queen.

6. Describe your life in 3 words.--Right now? Busy...emotional...basically good. (OK, I know that's four.)

7. What was the last thing you were wrong about?--Oh, wow. Good one. It happens on such a regular basis...Well, on a mundane scale, I really thought it would rain yesterday, and it didn't. On a larger scale...a person I thought was a jerk turned out to be not a jerk at all.


8. What one thing would you do to help the world be a better place for all?--Introduce them to Christ. When a person accepts Christ, it can be so huge and life-changing that it can send a positive ripple effect throughout that person's sphere of existence. When they accept Christ and begin to rely on God in faith-- incredible, wonderful things can happen in every area of their life.

9. Are you a dog person or a cat person?--I prefer dogs to cats, and I love Stormy, our German Shepherd. But the truth is, I probably wouldn't have a pet if it wasn't for my family. I know, I'm a horrible person!!!


10. If you could start your own meme (And you can!), what kind of questions would you ask?--Questions just like these...questions that make people stop and think, that help us celebrate the happiness in little things, and that bind people together with common likes and dislikes.

Which reminds me...

I heard a song by Bob Bennett on Radio 91 on the way to work this morning, called "Small Graces." I rarely hear this song, but I've always liked the almost bluegrass-feel of it, and the sentiment it conveys:

"These are the small graces,
The little moments when the miracles come.
These are the small graces,
Small graces leading me to the larger one.


Small graces surely have a meaning
Beyond their merely passing by
They are a reminder to the heart
That there's more to life than meets the eye."

Lovely...