Fictional Romantic Gestures That Have Ruined Me for Ordinary Males #1: Say Anything

So, it's no secret that I love John Cusack. It's also no secret that there are many women out there who share my love of his character in the 1989 film Say Anything, Lloyd Dobler. Why hasn't this inspired more men to be like Lloyd Dobler? That is unclear. Sure, it's hard to pull off a stunt like this. In the wrong light, you might get labeled a stalker. You had better have a record of sweet, earnest, non-creepy behavior to back it up.

At any rate, the boom box over the head gesture is iconic, romantic, and really sets the bar too high for everyone else in the whole world. I apologize for that, but there's not much I can do about it now.

As a kid, I saved all my movie ticket stubs. Sometimes I'm still hesitant to throw them away.

It does my heart good to know that there are people out there who love the movie That Thing You Do! I remember going to an advance screening which played after the movie Independence Day. I had just started the eighth grade, and it was thrilling to see two movies in a row. In fact, I don't know why I don't do that more often. I remember seeing Scream 2 and Titanic on the same day, and I liked Scream 2 better. A few years ago I went with friends to see The Aviator, Sideways, and Being Julia on the same day as a mini-Oscar marathon. I know I've done this on other occasions--I must have--but I can't remember the others offhand.

It's strange when I recall some of the movies that I went to the theater to see. I have always loved the experience of going to the movies. It is really hard for me to say no to seeing a movie. This is why I saw Vin Diesel in XXX three times in the theater. It's why I encouraged my dad to take my sister and me to see Gone Fishin', even though I had already seen it and knew that it wasn't very good. It's why I saw Idle Hands, Dead Man on Campus, Cabin Fever, Apt Pupil, Wild Things, Without a Paddle, The Shaggy Dog, Disturbing Behavior, Jawbreaker... Actually, I should re-watch Jawbreaker to see if I appreciate it more now that I've seen Judy Greer as Kitty on Arrested Development (the greatest comedy of our time).