My Five Films You Don't Want To See After a Break-Up

Just to clarify- no, I didn't break up with anyone recently nor did anyone break up with me. I'd have to be in something healthy enough to be called a relationship in the first place in order for the "breaking up" to occur. This is simply a list of films I feel would be the worse to check out alone at home while cuddling a blanket after a separation unless you want that knife to the heart to drive in a little deeper. Of course, spoilers alert! In alphabetical order, the depression-inducing works of art are:

The Break-Up (2006)

The first one's a freebie. While billed and marketed as comedy, it got real- real fast. The reason why this is a heartbreaker is because you simply didn't expect it to get that emotional wrenching. It almost felt like a personal attack when Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn verbally abused each other for a good 10 minutes after a light affair from the film. It was so "hard to watch" (thanks, Tracy Jordan), I can't help but swarm in my seat while reliving my arguments with my exes and compare.

Cast Away (2000)

This one's not as obvious. Solitude is not an easy thing, especially when you're closest pal is some volleyball. The gut wrenching portion of this one is not that he spend the entire time alone, but the one thing that's kept him sane is his wife back home is no longer there for him. Obviously, Chuck Noland is a stronger man than I simply because he somehow moves on gracefully. I, on the other hand, would have probably crawled into the fetal position and sob uncontrollably while cursing the world.

Closer (2004)

Pretty darn brutal. The truth sure hurts. Four very honest, no-holds-bar characters lays down the truth to their so-called significant others in this 2-hour entertaining punching bag adapted from the Tony-nominated play with the same name. After the infidelity of two of the characters, each word out of the everyone's mouths is a like venom- quick, sharp and stings like a mofo. Of course, that only means me thinking to myself "Damn, wished I should've said that."

High Fidelity (2000)

Self evaluation after a relationship is never easy. A lot of "Should I have done this", "Should I have done that" sets in when it all goes up in flames. Leave it to Rob Gordon, our hero, to brave the task of asking his former girlfriends what the hell went wrong. While emotionally touching with an relatively positive conclusion, it's the journey of Rob visiting his exes that triggers the inevitable self doubt and confidence. If there's anything to learned here is that you better surround yourself with a stinkin' good support system- even if they're weirdos.

A Single Man (2009)

The first lines of this film says it best: "For the past eight months waking up actually hurts. The cold realization that I am still here slowly sets in". Truer words cannot be spoken by a man filled with grief and heartbreak- though very different from a break up, the termination of a relationship is still there. Watching George Falconer's supposed last day of living could not feel more alone even when he's surrounded by people is beautiful, but no doubt depressing and reflective.

Of course, there are plenty of others film that would be appropriate for this list, these are simply the five I could think of off the top of my head. I'm curious to read what other films folks would consider. So fair warning, watch at your own risk. Just have a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates nearby.

My Top Five Matt Saracen Moments on 'Friday Night Lights'

The series finale to one of the least appreciated, if not the greatest, television show came to an end last night. Along with the conclusion of 'Friday Night Lights' came the end of the story of one Matt Saracen, my favorite character on FNL, as we know it. "Seven" as his friends (save for Landry) would call him is a character you can easily root for simply because there's so much good in him. Through the course of the show's five year run, there were plenty of moments where the character and his portrayer, Zach Gilford, shined and tugged at our heartstrings. Here's just five of them, spoilers ahead:

5.

Season 1 Episode 9: "Full Hearts"

While on his first date with Julie, Matt receives a phone call from best friend

Landry that Grandma Saracen locked herself in the bathroom. Cutting his

date short, Matt rushes home and had to pretend to be his grandfather to

his dementia grandmother and sing her her favorite song.

4.

Season 1 Episode 1: "Pilot"

After Panther star quarterback Jason Street goes down with a injury,

Coach Taylor, his teammates and the rest of Panther nation calls on Matt

to fill in with the once promising season on the line. Never even thrown a

football in a game, "Seven"'s hail mary was caught and the Panther's

path to glory is temporarily restored.

3.

Season 2 Episode 14: "Jumping The Gun"

Good guy Matt spirals out of control after he realized his girlfriend

left him for a better life, his ex-girlfriend left him for a better guy,

his teammates abandoned him for a better quarterback and his father

left him to fight a war. After Coach Taylor throws him in a cold shower

to cool him down, Matt asks desperately "What is wrong with me?

Why does everybody leave me?".

2.

Season 5 Episode 13: "Always"

Courting Julie Taylor for five years led to the ultimate proposal. In true

Matt Saracen fashion, he brought his girl to the Alamo Freeze, a local

hangout where he first told her he liked her, Matt got on one knee

with his grandmother's ring and propose to the girl of his dreams.

1.

Season 4 Episode 5: "The Son"

Hearing his father had died in Iraq, Matt arrives at the Taylor household

in full composure after visiting the morgue to see his father before

crumbling into pieces. This scene perhaps sums up why Matt, and

in extension his portrayer Zach Gilford, is such a easy character to root for.

Thanks FNL, thanks for the memories.

My Top Five List: Supporting Performances?

I love lists. I love movies. So of the course the first list on this blog is going to be about movies and more specifically, awards. Many performances in the past were considered as supporting roles but really should've been placed in the lead. Some of those demoted their rank translated into award recognition, some have not. Since there are way too many of these performances to choose from, I'm going to break it down to those that stood out from this century (2001-current).

5. Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), is it because of Brad Pitt's star status that bumped the equally dominant character to supporting ranks?

4. Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind), this one was a no-brainer. It was an instant Oscar as soon as she categorized herself in the supporting actress since she had stiffer competition in 2001 with Sissy Spacek, Nicole Kidman and the eventually winner, Halle Berry.

3. Scarlett Johansson (Lost In Translation), this one was iffy. The film itself was billed more as a Bill Murray vehicle, but Johansson's Charlotte had an equally nuance self-discovery in Japan. 

2. James McAvoy (The Last King of Scotland). Not that it would have resulted in anything, but the entire film was Nicholas's story from the get-go.

1. Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls). Unlike Catherine Zeta-Jones in 'Chicago', where her performance dominated to the point where some people were convinced CZJ was the lead, I blame Hudson's misplacement on the script and editing. It should've been the eventual Oscar winner in the lead and Beyonce in supporting, not that it would've helped Beyonce at all with awards. 

So did I miss any? The only other one I considered from this century was Ethan Hawke in 'Training Day'.