Different Types of Drama

The thing with crazy people is that they usually LOOK like everyone else. The guy driving in the lane next to you could be a crazy person. I don't say this to make you paranoid. I actually think everyone's crazy to one degree or another. It's just a question of being functional. Anyway, what does scare me are people's entertainment habits. Whenever I hear someone say that they only like easy listening/"elevator music," I automatically wonder how terribly crazy their lives must be. If the whole point of entertainment is escape, and I'm not saying that it is, then what are people who watch reality TV escaping FROM? For the record, I don't trust people who can't separate themselves from what's on the screen and who let their imaginations get the best of them. Just as violent video games and death metal may suggest that some kids are easily bored, dumb comedy movie sequels and Harlequin romance novels may suggest that some adults aren't bored easily enough. Anyway, whenever I hear someone say that they only like movies that are funny and/or they don't like "depressing Oscar-type" dramas, I automatically wonder how depressing the lives they're trying to escape from really are. Believe me, I get it - drama is overrated and I don't NEED it in my personal life, but I'd hate to imagine a life completely void of it.

After watching nearly all the 2009 Oscar nominees for Best Picture a couple weeks ago, and then two blockbuster melodramas with Australia and Watchmen, I thought I should post my top ten list for dramas. Unlike my wife, who seems to be the opposite of most women and avoids tearjerkers, there are times I'm just in the mood for unpleasant realities without happy endings. I don't think it's because I lack a sense of humor or because I don't lead a hard enough life. If anything, I tend to laugh off the problems I do have and sometimes it's nice to watch fictional characters with bigger problems than mine. I admit that my personal favorites don't represent the whole drama genre, which practically covers all of fiction itself. You probably remember the main three types of conflict from English class: man versus man, man versus nature, and man versus self. Most subgenres of drama fall under the theme of man versus man: civil rights, class divisions, courtroom dramas, crime, family life, romance and war. Just re-reading that list reminds me of so many movies. Man versus nature is the theme I'm least familiar with, as I haven't seen that many disaster thrillers, jungle adventures, and westerns. Man versus self is my least favorite because I'd rather watch a documentary on mental illness than a fictional account, but I do like coming of age movies. Read on for what I like best.

1. My Life (1993) the best melodrama I've seen; not only does it have death, it has comedy throughout; plus my favorite soundtrack ever, because it's all about the music for me

2. Where the River Runs Black (1986) this quasi-coming-of-age drama, about a boy who lives alone with dolphins in the Amazon, asks the question of whether a child could murder; I first saw it when I was a child, it's got one of my favorite soundtracks, and the beginning's all in Portuguese (I lived in Brazil for a couple years)

3. She's Having a Baby (1988) probably my favorite John Hughes movie, even more than The Breakfast Club or Ferris Bueller's Day Off (I know, it's blasphemy); I understand it throws people because it's not a teen movie; it's family life - marriage, in-laws, infertility, career planning, pregnancy, suburbs, and the seven-year itch

4. The Family Man (2000) somewhat the flip of It's a Wonderful Life, it's the best what-if I've seen, and best of all, it's got Jeremy Piven

5. Aspen Extreme (1993) it's an extreme sports drama without an energy drink endorsement; that's compelling in and of itself; but seriously, it's a buddy comedy with more drugs and death than comedy, beautiful ski slopes, and mulitiple romances

6. Legends of the Fall (1996) no movie makes me angrier than this one when they accidentally kill Brad Pitt's wife; I normally don't go for historical epics, but I could watch this forever

7. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) I have to say this adaptation actually improves on the source material; they leave the basic revenge plot and add a workable surprise happy ending

8. On the Waterfront (1950) forget The Godfather, this is the crime drama that got Marlon Brando that job in the first place

9. All About Eve (1950) the best acting and role reversal ever

10. Where the Heart Is (1999) otherwise known as the Wal-Mart baby movie; it's got homelessness, child molestation, unrequited love, natural disaster, and country music - and I still like it anyway

Honorable mentions: Dances with Wolves (1990) is a little bit manipulative but it's got great music and Glory (1989) is a war movie for a guy like me that doesn't like war movies.