“I believe in PJ movie parties. I believe the answers to life’s most challenging questions can be found in a well-recited movie quote. I believe in popcorn for dinner. And I believe happiness is family.”

I’m not a fan of the television and when I do turn it on, I watch the same shows repeatedly. I often find myself wanting to go to the movie theater, but I fear falling asleep in the middle of a movie, so I opt out of that idea. I see others binge watching tv shows and I wonder, “How do you watch that much TV without falling asleep?” Watching TV is just not my forte.

This week I turned on the tube and saw a couple of oldies but goodies and found myself engrossed in House Party, Sister Act II and Purple Rain. These were movies I watched repeatedly as a child/very young adult. While truly enjoying the moment and the movies, I realized just like I watch the same television shows, I watch the same movies over and over and over. My husband and I laugh at each other because we swear our favorite movies are the best ever.

My absolute favorite movie is Love Jones. I don’t like romance books but I will definitely settle for that happy ending in a movie. I love both Larenz Tate and Nia Long. While I think Nia Long is a beautiful woman, I am a sucker for defined arms and Tate definitely puts his on display throughout the movie. My favorite line in the movie is Tate saying, “You and I both know you don’t wanna be out here this late, by yourself, stompin’ up and down the street like somebody “stolt” your bike.” Hilarious! I rewind that part over and over again simply because he said “stolt” and they didn’t correct it in the movie. I also thoroughly enjoyed the poetry and the opportunity to see the various arts, including photography, displayed in the movie.

Love and Basketball is another hit in my books. As a former athlete, there are so many relatable parts and the reality is athletes usually flock to athletes. This movie featured two more of my favorites, Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps. The movie was also an eye opener that revealed to me that no matter how hard we try to get out of our mother’s shadows, we still have a tendency to pick up many of their behaviors unknowlingly.

Grease 2! You couldn’t tell me I was not destined to grow up and become a Pink Lady. I loved all of the music in Grease 2, knew every song and all the lyrics. So many of us go through phases of wanting to be popular and/or cool, and as a little girl I was on the path of becoming just as popular as Stephanie Zinone. By the time I got to high school, I realized being popular wasn’t all it was hyped up to be. Hey, but I still enjoyed the movie.

The Lion King was such an adorable movie. This movie turned me into a Simba and Nala fan. I loved the playfulness and the camaraderie amongst the friends. More importantly, I enjoyed witnessing the development of true friendships and the support that was extended to Simba by his friends. In the words of Gladys Knight, “That’s what friends are for.”

What’s Love Got to Do With It tells the journey of Tina Turner. “What’s Love Got to Do With It” was the first song I recall hearing by Tina Turner and it left me with a yearning for her music. To watch her concede to her husband and start her journey from scratch was very inspiring. I also loved her fashion in the movie and in real life, Tina Turner had the most amazing legs!

A few of my other favorites include Sister Act II, Sparkle and Life. What are some of your favorite movies? Leave a few suggestions below because every Friday I say I’m going to watch a movie and I watch the same thing. LOL!