34th and 33rd Favorite Movies - Good Will Hunting & Rounders

Make sure you have read the first post in this series ("My 50 Favorite Movies") before you read on...

Ok, so I was just about done writing this a minute ago when my finger hit the wrong key and somehow sent my browser back, and when I went forward again everything I had written was gone. Super frustrating. I guess now I know to click that "Save As Draft" button more often.

Last week was one of the few times I have missed a week in my movie countdown! The reason? I just didn't feel like blogging. Today I still don't feel like it much, but I know I gotta give the people what they want. Seriously, will all of you rabid fans please stop calling and flooding my account with emails? I think that I have reached that part in my list where I am getting sick of writing the articles each week... and I'm not even to the top 30 movies yet. But I am betting that my excitement level will pick up again once I get to the top 25 or so because those ones I REALLY care about.

Good Will Hunting brought instant fame and a lifetime of work in Hollywood for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. If you recall, they won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for writing it. Nobody had even heard of these two guys and they go and write and star in one of the best films of 1997. Pretty amazing. This one has some classic lines in it, among them: "how 'bout them apples?" "it's not your fault" "I had to go see about a girl" and Steve (Stew) B's favorite, "I'm telling you, you're suspect". I think this movie is one of Stew's favorites. Stew, if you're out there can you verify that?

Rounders, also starring Matt Damon, beats Good Will Hunting out by an Ace kicker in my book. How much you like this movie probably depends on how much you like poker, though. I have been getting more into it lately by playing online with play chips (I am quite proud of the 50K I have amassed at PartyPoker.net) and reading a book about the history of the World Series of Poker that Bethany bought me for Christmas. I truly believe that this movie is the biggest reason for the poker boom we have seen in the last few years. In 1998, the year the movie came out, 352 people paid the $10,ooo entry fee to the World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas. Last year, there were over 8,000 entries - mostly amateurs and internet players. While the rise of on-line gambling and better television coverage has certainly contributed to poker's rise in popularity, I believe that the almost daily airing of Rounders on channels such as TNT and USA cannot be overlooked.

In Rounders Matt Damon plays a law school student who is also really good at poker, which probably happens more than you realize. Ed Norton plays his buddy, Worm. This is definitely one of those "dude flicks", seeing as the romantic relationship is pretty much cast aside and there is a lot of card games and talk about loyalty and respect. Fun movie, even if I still don't completely understand what Teddy KGB's tell is (yeah, I know it has something to do with the Oreos, but what EXACTLY?).

And if you think a pastor who likes poker is funny, how about a professional poker player who is a Christian and not ashamed of either his faith or his occupation? Daniel Negreanu, aka "Kid Poker", says, "it's not gambling if you win". He is estimated to have won over $4 million playing in tournaments and is probably one of the top 10 poker players in the world. I started watching him on TV and it is unbelievable how the man can just tell what 2 cards other players have. I started reading his blog online and even sat through an episode of Rob and Amber because he appeared in it. I like this guy so much I had to add him to my list of "Heros" on Myspace!

See you next week. Uhg. What did I get myself into with this list? Now I know how Desmond must have felt pushing the button (that's a Lost reference... if you don't get it, I feel sorry for you. Go rent Seasons 1 & 2. NOW!)