A Drift of Quills for January 2020

Happy New Year to you all! I pray each and every one of you is blessed in 2020 with good health and good cheer!

We Quills decided we would open the year with a post about our favorite fantasy movies. (Those that come in a series, count as a single selection.)

---

I'm sure my fellow Quill, P.S. Broaddus, author of A Hero's Curse, had a marvelously hectic holiday with his lovely family. Let's find out if he took some time out to watch some great movies. Even if not, we're about to learn of some of his favorite selections. Parker?

---

I love movies. Cinema. Film. My love of visual storytelling propelled me to get a master’s degree in film-making and digital storytelling. So to pick a favorite movie, or even three, is a hard thing. It depends on my mood. The weather. The time of year. When did I last see it?

I suppose I define a favorite as something that I watch time and again.

Robin, author of As the Crow Flies, is up next.

I hope you had a wondrous holiday celebration with your family and friends, Robin. Did you take time to watch any great movies? Do you have any selections to share with us?

---

When Hubby and I sit down to watch a movie together, one of our top favorite genres is fantasy. (You’re surprised, right? I knew you would be.) Much to our delight, the offerings are increasing in both volume and quality. And it’s about darned time my favorite genre in the whole wide world got wider recognition! It did, however, make the task of narrowing the selection down to three fairly formidable. There are “the greats,” of course: Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and The Hunger Games (in that order), but they’re so obvious. What about the other stuff? What about the also-really-great movies like …

Oooh, now it's my turn! Have you any idea what movies I might have chosen?

---

Of course, the most obvious choice of all, is Lord of the Rings. So much so, that I’m not going to include it as one of my three choices. Indeed, the LOTR trilogy is in a category all of its own. Yes, it is a great story. Still, that is not the draw for me. I am most taken with LOTR because of its cinematography, and in particular, its lighting, which I think surpasses that of any other film every produced. The mists, the glows, the heat . . . Then, of course, the music is phenomenal. 

In short, LOTR is a masterpiece and it is one I watch from beginning to end from time to time. So now, with this brazenly obvious selection out of the way, I will turn my attention to three additional great fantasy films.

My first choice then, goes to Ladyhawke.

This 1985 medieval fantasy, starring Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, and Michelle Pfeiffer, and filmed in the Dolomite mountains of Italy, is one I’ve watched countless times. I also introduced it to all three of my children over the years. This family favorite has only one “downside” in my estimation, and that is, its soundtrack. Given that I’m particularly drawn to movie soundtracks, I must say that this one is a disappointment. However, the story delivers everything else that one could possibly ask for: magic, danger, love, a bit of humor, and so much more. (I still have a VHS copy which is one of the very first I ever purchased—so if I cannot find it streamable somewhere soon, I’ll have to check out my tape again, as it has been a couple years since I last enjoyed this adventure.) If you have not seen Ladyhawke as yet, do yourself a favor and start 2020 out with a viewing. I cannot imagine that you would regret it.

Another oldie but goodies, and my second choice for today, is . . . The Neverending Story.

From 1984, this story includes a magic flying dragon, a monster, a princess, and the “star” of the show (in my estimation anyway!): a book. Yes, a stolen book sets the stage for this great fantasy tale. Are you familiar with it? (That's a rhetorical question, of course!)

I know you all are expecting me to go with The Labyrinth (1986), or The Princess Bride (1987), or something else also from the same era as Ladyhawke and The Never-ending Story, for my third selection, but alas, I did not. In fact, my third choice today goes to Hook.

Robin Williams, who will forever be missed, starred in this great film in 1991. (Can it be almost 20 years ago?) My favorite line from this movie is/was: “Do you know what my happy thought was? It was you.” As a parent of three grown children, now all out on their own (one currently deployed out of country, and another currently living out of state), I can tell you that if anything could make me fly, it would be my thoughts of them.

There you have it! So, how about you? What fantasy films do you love and recommend to us?

​Thank you for sharing!