Today is the birthday of the cinetrix. Older than TMFTML, young enough to make the list if residency weren't a requirement.
She will be raising a glass to thems what share it: Bill Hicks, Jane Austen, Beethoven, Noel Coward, Margaret Mead, Philip K. Dick, Arthur C. Clarke, George Santayana, Catherine of Aragon, and the lovely Liv Ullman. She will not be ordering air strikes (1998), nor will she become lord protector of England (1653) or murder Rasputin (1916), but she may hurl some Darjeeling into Boston Harbor (1773), just to keep her hand in.
I had a friend who found himself watching Miller's Crossing whenever his own life was at a crossroads. It was a chicken-and-egg scenario: Sometimes he recognized the moment and watched the movie; other times he watched the movie and then realized he had once again arrived at a crux.
Is there a film that you return to every year, measure yourself by? What film do you think I should watch on this, my natal day? Warning: Historically, laughing like a loon and bursting into tears are both likely and time-honored birthday scenarios, so feel free to take either tack when making your suggestion.
UPDATE All props to Sarah Weinman, who directed the cinetrix to her new official birthday soundtrack, the theme song to Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay [esp. from 1:53 on].
