Films that Zap your Comfort Zone #atozchallenge #Monday #movie #meme

"There's no need to compromise, or settle for another outside of my love, the thing to do when you get through, heed the message, seek the comfort of my zone -- When you need to be loved like you need to be, welcome to the comfort zone. Do whatever feels right and turns you on."

“The Comfort Zone” by Vanessa Williams continues to be one of my favorite songs to listen to ever since I was just a kid. I never paid much attention to what the song was about until writing this post. It appears that she’s offering up pleasure of some sort, whether that be in the form of a massage or extra, extra curricular activities! As we wrap up the A to Z Challenge today, nothing says comfort like the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," the Sunday dinner table spread in "Soul Food" and the fun of Gloria's birthday party scene in "Waiting to Exhale."

Since most of us probably won't be taking a friend's Ferrari for an afternoon joy ride any time soon, however, you can find comfort in being able to still kick off your shoes and relax with another installment of the Monday Movie Meme.

At the moment, Dale at Smurfin’ the Web is taking a step back from hosting the Monday Movie Meme, so I’m heading this thing up each week from here on out. He’s covered many bands during the A to Z Challenge and will continue to blog his movie reviews as well as with happenings in the music world for all of your reading pleasure.

For the sake of this post, I’m flipping the script on being comfortable -- Today’s theme for the Monday Movie Meme is: Out of My Comfort Zone!

Share on your blog or in the comments section, the most disturbing movies that you’ve ever watched. These movies make viewers uncomfortable due to either their subject matter or the manner in which a subject is portrayed onscreen. Be sure to visit the blogs of other participants. Here are my selections for the Out of My Comfort Zone! Monday Movie Meme topic.

“Shortbus”
Just when I thought “Kissing on the Mouth” was a little extreme for my patience, “Shortbus” takes the cake. Many of the scenes could either make you nauseous or have you wondering “is this necessary?” To this day, I don’t understand why someone would record himself masturbating and then ingest his own semen. More importantly, what does audiences get from watching the scene? The thing is, that’s not even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the most uncomfortable elements in “Shortbus,” for the rest is covered in my movie review at Writercize for this film. 

Strangely enough, while it’s not a movie that I would want to watch again, I do like the soundtrack as well as the editing and I find the movie to be surprisingly humorous at times. 

“Watch Out”
Based on a novel, this movie is about a guy who is so obsessed with himself that he alienates others and well, may give a whole new meaning to the term narcissistic. “Watch Out” director Steve Balderson even said himself that the story is so bizarre, it’s hard to compare to any other film. Despite its critical acclaim and favor among viewers, “Watch Out” also took some audiences so far out of their comfort zone that they got up, threw things at the screen while yelling expletives and then walked out of the movie theater.

“A Clockwork Orange”
My former store manager once lent me her “A Clockwork Orange” DVD after learning that I never heard of this movie. It’s among, if not her favorite cult films and she was sure that it would scare the daylights out of me.

Later, when I mentioned having plans to watch this movie, during a telephone conversation with my supervisor at JAW Studios, he yelled "WHAT?!!!” and told me that it’s one sick, crazy ass movie and that he wouldn’t recommend watching it at night. Well, after watching it on that borrowed DVD that one time, I now understand why they said what they said and I can also understand why the film initially received an X Rating.

“I Am a Sex Addict”
I don’t know what about “I Am a Sex Addict” is most disturbing -- the fact that women were still willing to be in a relationship with, and even marry a guy knowing that he’s still sleeping with other women, or the fact that this movie is a true story.

Still, for some reason -- maybe because some of the scenes are very funny, I would probably watch this movie again. The story does not directly follow a linear three-act structure, it bounces around -- sometimes too much, but the animated scenes in between those where he gets his fix are put together well. More tidbits are covered in my “I Am a Sex Addict” movie review.

*Honorable Mention: “Requiem for a Dream” - Just say no to drugs! I still haven’t figured out why I bought this movie on DVD -- because, I haven’t watched it again. Maybe it’s in my movie collection just in case I want to introduce it to someone who never saw it, just like my store manager introduced me to “A Clockwork Orange.” Maybe.

What movies have YOU watched that took YOU out of your comfort zone?

Thank You for your Time during the Monday Movie Meme and More... #monday #atozchallenge #atoz

“My tea’s gone cold, I’m wondering why I got out of bed at all. The morning rain clouds up my window and I can’t see at all. And even if I could, it would all be gray, but your picture on my wall, it reminds me that it’s not so bad. It’s not so bad. -- And I want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life.”

“Thank You” by Dido has always been a pleasure to listen to no matter what mood I’m in. Because of heavy sampling in the music industry, it comes as no surprise to me that I only knew about this song as a result of listening to “Stan” by Eminem. Both songs are favorites on my playlist but only one fits in line with today’s theme. Allow me to take this time to thank all of you who visit The Madlab Post and not only read my blog posts but also comment on them as well.

I appreciate everyone who takes the time to join in on film related discussions, subscribe to this blog, tweet about my posts or retweet my tweets such as Damyanti at Amlokiblogs and Daily (w)rite. I’m also grateful for my fellow blogging friends who make time to include me in various blogging activities of theirs such as linking to a specific post that I write and mentioning The Madlab Post in posts on their blog.

Thank You Herman at Terrible Analogies, for all of your support over the years and movie rental/DVD purchasing recommendations. It’s almost hard to believe that we were brought together by way of a frozen meal review! Thank You to Alana at Writercize for getting me to flex my brain and writing muscles. Thanks Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out for publishing my guests posts, featuring me in your Media Matters post and for also hosting the great ol' A to Z Challenge.

Also, Thank You Dale at Smurfin’ the Web for welcoming me as a co-host of the Monday Movie Meme, which provides a sense of purpose and structure to my weekly blogging activities. Speaking of the Monday Movie Meme -- It’s MONDAY, everybody! -- and time for another installment of the Movie Meme after we took a trip down memory lane with Neighbors from Hell, last week. This week’s theme is: Time is of the essence.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies that involve people who are dealing with circumstances where the clock is working against them. These movie characters either have a certain amount of time to complete a task before something disastrous happens or they are trying to avoid the progression of time for specific reasons. Here are my selections for this week’s Time is of the essence movie meme.

The Negotiator
In this action film starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey, a police negotiator takes hostages as collateral for buying enough time to prove that he is innocent of corruption and murder. My grandmother introduced me to this film and I’ve enjoyed watching it multiple times ever since. One unfortunate thing that “The Negotiator” did do, however, is reinforce a distrust in cops as a collective. Yeah, I know it’s just a movie but still -- you can’t help but wonder “are ANY of them the good guys?” and “Do any of them take their oath seriously?”

16 Blocks
In this crime drama starring Bruce Willis and Mos Def, an old alcoholic cop is assigned to escort a witness from police custody to the courthouse by 10a.m. for a grand jury testimony. The task sounds simple but their journey gets really complicated when the drug-dealing cops who want the witness dead do all in their power to try and make sure that he does not make it to the courthouse -- even if that means harming their fellow man in blue.

Add to that the fact that this witness is a petty criminal; everyone involved is on edge because they don’t know who to trust. Still, the designated police escort has two hours to get his witness to a destination that is sixteen hours aways, all while people are trying to kill them. -- And you thought you had a bad morning! Talk about waking up on the wrong side of the bed, it looks like these characters woke up on the wrong side of the law! -- at least, on this particular day.

Out of Time
In this crime thriller starring Denzel Washington, Sanaa Lathan and Eva Mendes, a police chief tries to solve a double murder involving his mistress and $450,000 in missing drug money, before he becomes the prime suspect.

There is a lot of weird back and forth in “Out of Time” with regards to the storytelling but if you can tolerate it, then this movie can be entertaining to watch on any lazy afternoon. I’m not a fan of the flashbacks because they seemed excessive, yet the main character is likeable, depending on how you view him, so it’s easy to want to find out if he can get out of the trouble he will potentially be in.

Darn, I just realized that all of my selections for this week’s Monday Movie Meme have another common thread beyond just being in time-sensitive situations -- they’re all cop movies. Sheesh! I guess I watch a lot of friggin’ cop movies!

Can YOU name some movies where time is of the essence?

Have YOU watched any of the movies listed here?

If so, what did YOU think about them?

Neighbors from Hell and New Monday Movie Meme Visitors #atozchallenge #atoz

 

“Nightingale, sing us a song of a love that once belonged. Nightingale, tell me a tale. Was your journey far too long? All the voices that are spinnin’ around me trying to tell me what to say. Can I fly right behind you? And you can take me away”

“Nightingale” by Norah Jones is one of those songs that I tend to play if I want to fall asleep or relax after a long day. My mention of such habits are not meant to imply that this is a boring tune or less-than-entertaining track. It just packs a smooth sound with simple lyrics to make for one very calming retreat in the world of music. I am not quite sure if this song is about any one thing in particular -- it seems as though Norah Jones possibly made it up while looking out the window, staring at a bird. I could be wrong.

Either way, birds are interesting creatures -- or shall I say, they symbolize so many different things to us. One bird or a flock of them soaring through a clear and sunny sky could remind us of a new day ahead, where we can start fresh, knowing that with each new day lies great opportunity.

Today, my Monday Movie Meme co-host, Dale at Smurfin’ the Web is highlighting a band called Nightwish. While Dale continues to introduce us to some new music during in the A to Z Challenge, I’m using this time to give all of you who are new to The Madlab Post and/or new to the Monday Movie Meme a little glimpse into one of our previous meme topics that just so happens to start with the letter N.

Neighbors from Hell

Movies featuring neighbors who make you want to relocate or wish you never moved into a particular place of residency.

Read My List of the Worst Neighbors in Film

-and-

Read Smurfin’ the Web’s List of the Worst Neighbors in Film
 
Have YOU or anyone close to you ever been annoyed by a rude, nosey or inconsiderate neighbor?

If so, what was the experience like?

If not, how would YOU handle a neighbor from hell?

Stay tuned in here next week for a fresh installment of the Monday Movie Meme that I have brewing!
 

In the meantime, hop on over to Smurfin’ the Web and check out what the Smurfdok has been cookin’ up for the A to Z Challenge.