Tuesday Ten

Ten Movies I Could Watch Again and Again

(Not necessarily the top ten movies of all time, because sometimes great movies aren't the ones you want to watch over and over)

1. Mean Girls. I love a bit of La Lohan before she went completely mental. I love the way those characters are written, especially the creepy mother with the video camera. It's like chewing gum for the brain, this film.

2. X Men Trilogy. It makes me laugh. And it always leads to daydreaming about what my mutant power would be if I got to have one.

3. Romy & Michele's High School Reunion. So good. I regularly quote lines from this at kids I am teaching to amuse myself, not that they realise. "THAT'S Sandy Frink?! What the hell was I thinking?"

4. Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I am lucky enough not to notice the over-reliance on CGI and so it's just all very exciting. I like being able to quote whole passages because they're the same as the tape version my parents listened to on long drives throughout my childhood.

5. Magnolia. So clever, how it all fits together, and I love love love the soundtrack. It's kind of bleak, too, and it reminds me of my last days living in London and going to the Prince Charles Cinema on my own for random matinees.

6. Chocolat. In large part, because of how beautifully Juliette Binoche is turned out throughout it - I covet her navy nightgown. And in slightly larger part, because Jonny Depp is heartbreakingly lovely in it. And the mayor reminds me of Renee from Allo allo.

7. Pirates of the Caribbean. And you might think this is another Depp thing, but no, this is an obsession that has me far deeper in its clutches - I love pirates and all things piratey. There is a big argument going on at the moment, on the teacher forum I go on, about how they were really absolute gits and shouldn't be romanticised in any way, but I'm sorry - they are cool. Yarrr. Fetch me the rum, and very bad eggs.

8. The Devil Wears Prada. Mostly for Meryl Streep being so chilly, and the Emily character being such a perfect British bitch, and the outfits of course.

9. Rita, Sue and Bob Too. It's such a complete and utter tack fest, from start to finish. I remember watching it in the dark on my bedroom TV when Mother Hand told me I couldn't. I like how, as the years passed, the TV magazine gave it more and more stars, as though it improved with age - perhaps it was a bit too close to the bone to start with. It makes me cringe, honestly, all the way through, but I love it anyway.

10. Snatch. It's sharp, funny, cringey, fast-paced and fun. I like its British cliches, and Vinny Jones, and Bricktop.

There, I thought that would be difficult to complete because I wouldn't think of 10 - but as it ended, I had trouble keeping it down to ten.

Had a really awful lesson with a year 8 group today. They had mostly forgotten their homework and they came in with no discipline and then sat around doing nothing but complain about the heat, all in their school jumpers. I told them, do task 1 and I'll open the windows. Several decided to try and bully me into opening them anyway - I was almost pushed out of the way of the door, sworn at, and told I had the brain of a carrot - or, no, this last one wasn't spoken at me, but rather about me, loudly, in that way children do when they're being especially rude. I almost cried at the end - it must be nearly holiday time. I set two after schools and emailed the parent of the worst offender, who wrote back and told me I should have opened the windows as it's hard to concentrate when you're hot. Er, thanks for the advice on doing my job. She was geneally supportive of me, though.

Not a great day today. Roll on happy Wednesday - all 6 bloody lessons of it.