As the end of the semester draws to a close (I know I shouldn’t even mention it) it’s important not to drive yourself crazy with 24/7 studying. Please, leave Brody every once in a while. The chairs are comfy, sure, but they aren’t beds. The one thing that really winds me down from a hard week’s work is a good ole’ fashioned movie marathon.
This doesn’t have to be an intensive 24-hour, non-stop extravaganza by any means but just a short two or three movie break where you can sit down and maybe be transported from this stressful world that is the Hopkins bubble. Grab some popcorn and some friends and just enjoy yourselves for a little bit. For you hard core lot, if you’d rather be partying during your off time, I’m sure there is a drinking game for every movie that has ever been made.
If you like this idea but can’t think of a theme for your marathon, might I suggest one of my favorites? James (Jimmy) Stewart is one of my favorite actors of all time and tops my personal list of best American actors. He has the ability to transport you from your life full of formulas and functions and drop you in the middle of his character’s life. His versatility is such that any viewer can find a movie they’re interested in watching.
If you want good American Classics that make you feel warm and fuzzy, I would suggest It’s a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. In these two movies, Stewart fights against the greedy banker and politician to stand for the rights of the little man although he is but a little man himself.
Feeling warm and fuzzy is all well and good but perhaps you’d like a little suspense? Hitchcock is your way to get there. Jimmy Stewart and Alfred Hitchcock are one of the greatest actor/director pairs in cinematic history. It’s honestly hard to narrow down their best thriller together. Go on IMDb and look up Hitchcock’s movies starring Jimmy Stewart – you will not be sorry.
My two favorites from this duo though are Rear Window and Vertigo. Rear Window follows the experiences of a bed-ridden man who witnesses some suspicious goings-on in the apartment across the complex’s patio. If this sounds like the plot to Disturbia, it’s because it is, though Hitchcock made Rear Window a full 53 years before Shia LeBouf was on house arrest.
Vertigo on the other hand is a very suspenseful movie about a man who is driven to the brink of insanity by a woman he believes to be dead. Jimmy Stewart’s ability to go from the boy-next-door fighting the power-hungry elite to a man on the edge (maybe literally?) is absolutely amazing.
And if patriotism or suspense don’t spark your interest, he also has a repertoire of romantic comedies (The Philadelphia Story), adventures (The Spirit of St. Louis), and Wild West movies, for which he is probably most famous. I bet you didn’t know he voiced the Sheriff Wiley in Fievel Goes West.
