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Thursday, April 18, 2013

A-Z Geek (P): The Favourites

During the April A-Z Challenge, I’m posting six days a week, following the letters of the alphabet. I will share all the movies, books and games I watched, read and played--all the influences that turned me into the geeky person and writer I am today.


MOVIES
The Princess Bride (1987): This is my most favourite movie of all time. It’s one of the few movies that are better than the book.

The Philadelphia Experiment (1984): As many of you know by now, I love time travel stories and this one does not disappoint. Not an all time favourite, but great anyway.

Pitch Black (2000): Another favourite. If you want to see how character arcs work, then watch this.
(I can’t help myself, I have to analyse everything I see and read).

BOOKS
The Pern Series by Anne McCaffrey (1968): These stories consist of many books and I’ve read all the ones written by Anne. I believe some time ago her son took over and has written more. What’s not to love about dragons?

This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti (1986): A story about angels and demons and faith. A truly brilliant read. Yet another favourite.

GAMES
Portal (2007) and Portal 2 (2011): wow, oh wow, a new type of puzzle solving game with a sense of humour. Sheer brilliance. I completed both and hope the third one will come out soon. Spoiler: There is no cake!

Pong, the first console game I ever played. It’s amazing how engaging two rectangles and a circle on the screen can be. You can now play it for free online.


What are some of your all time favourites?

#AtoZChallenge

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46 comments:

  1. RickApril 18, 2013 at 4:42 PM

    Some great choices. The Princess Bride has the best lines of just about any movie ever made including the all time greatest, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Who says a line can be over used?

    I did not like this Present Darkness. All my friends read it before me and raved about, but I didn't.

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    Replies
    1. Lynda R Young as Elle CardyApril 19, 2013 at 8:39 AM

      The movie is genius!! And yes, that's the best line, as well as "As you wish".

      Delete
  2. CynthiaApril 18, 2013 at 4:53 PM

    I love The Princess Bride. I was just commenting on another blog that I really liked the beginning of the movie (most people like movie endings)when Westley kept saying "as you wish" whenever Buttercup demanded something.

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    1. Lynda R Young as Elle CardyApril 19, 2013 at 8:40 AM

      My hubby says, "As you wish," and my heart melts every time.

      Delete
  3. mooderinoApril 18, 2013 at 5:34 PM

    Princess Bride is a pretty amazing movie. Very quotable.

    mood
    Moody Writing

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  4. Suzy, The Grey BrunetteApril 18, 2013 at 6:16 PM

    Like so many others, I too adore The Princess Bride. I love almost anything filled with fantasy and magic, especially when it has a sprinkling of humour too.
    Pitch Black was pretty cool too... but maybe that's just because it's got the very sexy Vin Diesel in it!
    My number one P movie is Practical Magic which I'm going to be talking about over on my blog today :D
    Suzy Turner, YA Author

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  5. Sheena-kay GrahamApril 18, 2013 at 6:59 PM

    Pong and The Princess Bride are both classics. Loved Pitch Black.

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  6. Alex J. CavanaughApril 18, 2013 at 8:23 PM

    Yes, we both picked The Princess Bride! Pitch Black was great as well. That movie surprised me.
    Pong was my first video game. My brother and I played it for hours.
    Really wild how much we have in common!

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  7. PatsyApril 18, 2013 at 9:09 PM

    I've not read, watched or plated any of those. I'm beginning to suspect I may not be a geek.

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    Replies
    1. Lynda R Young as Elle CardyApril 19, 2013 at 8:42 AM

      I believe there's a little bit of geek in all of us. We just have to find your geek :)

      Delete
  8. UnknownApril 18, 2013 at 9:33 PM

    I've never tried Portal but now I want to.

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  9. Jemi FraserApril 18, 2013 at 9:33 PM

    I love, love, LOVE the Pern series by McCaffrey. Such a fantastic series! And I finally watched the Princess Bride last year - what a great movie! :)

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  10. Cathrina ConstantineApril 18, 2013 at 10:24 PM

    Princess Bride is one of mine and my children's all time favorites. For some reason, we like to watch it around Valentine's Day. The other's unfortunately, I'm not familiar.

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  11. SuzeApril 18, 2013 at 10:44 PM

    Okay. I am officially interested in 'The Philadelphia Experiment.' Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Lynda R Young as Elle CardyApril 19, 2013 at 8:45 AM

      It's probably considered an 'old' story now, but I still loved it and for some reason it stuck with me for all these years.

      Delete
    2. SuzeApril 19, 2013 at 9:09 AM

      Was nosing around. It's based on what some speculate was a true story. There's a documentary.

      I remember reading, 'This Present Darkness,' coming on twenty years now? Tal really left an impression on my imagination.

      Delete
    3. Lynda R Young as Elle CardyApril 19, 2013 at 4:55 PM

      I think I read This Present Darkness in the 90s, along with the sequel, Piercing the Darkness.

      And yes, there was a huge conspiracy thing behind the Experiment. I remember I used to watch that Mysteries show hosted my Leonard Nimoy and I think it featured on that once.

      Delete
  12. DEZMONDApril 18, 2013 at 11:01 PM

    I really wish they would make films out of PERN since the rights were sold a year or two ago!

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    1. Lynda R Young as Elle CardyApril 19, 2013 at 8:46 AM

      Yeah, I got all excited when you mentioned that on HollywoodSpy. It would make the best movie!!!

      Delete
  13. UnknownApril 18, 2013 at 11:34 PM

    Princess Bride, now that's a classic. My husband and about every other man I know can quote that almost verbatim.

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  14. Julie FlandersApril 18, 2013 at 11:35 PM

    The Princess Bride is the only one of these I know. You have me very curious about the rest now.

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  15. cleemckenzieApril 19, 2013 at 1:06 AM

    Everybody loves Princess Bride today--well, always. It has universal appeal.

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  16. wsbharkApril 19, 2013 at 1:07 AM

    I love Princess Bride. :) So many funny lines.

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  17. AnonymousApril 19, 2013 at 1:29 AM

    Princess Bride is awesome. So glad it made your list.

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  18. AnonymousApril 19, 2013 at 2:41 AM

    You can't go wrong with Princess Bride.

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  19. Sherry EllisApril 19, 2013 at 3:05 AM

    Pitch Black is a really cool movie. I've seen it quite a few times.

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  20. nutschellApril 19, 2013 at 3:32 AM

    Oh i love the Pern novels! Wish I had gotten to meet Anne McCaffrey in person. I did get to meet her son Todd, though.
    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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  21. Michael Di GesuApril 19, 2013 at 3:35 AM

    Oh, I agree, the PERN novels are excellent. Fantastic descriptions and wonderful DRAGONS!

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  22. Teresa CypherApril 19, 2013 at 3:51 AM

    I've never seen The Princess Bride. I will add it to my watch list. :-) Pitch Black--excellent movie, just excellent. I like the Riddick movies.

    Thanks for a walk down memory lane. This is such a neat idea for the A to Z. :-)

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    Replies
    1. Lynda R Young as Elle CardyApril 19, 2013 at 8:49 AM

      Riddick is such a cool character. I believe another movie is in the making. I'm looking forward to seeing it.

      Delete
  23. Al DiazApril 19, 2013 at 5:14 AM

    I never imagined how much people love Princess Bride, hahaha. Cool.

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  24. Romance Reader April 19, 2013 at 6:21 AM

    The Princess Bride is my most favorite movie after Dirty Dancing!

    Nas

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  25. Luanne G. SmithApril 19, 2013 at 6:29 AM

    But of course the Princess Bride! It would be inconceivable not to mention it. :))

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    1. Lynda R Young as Elle CardyApril 19, 2013 at 8:37 AM

      "I do not think that word means what you think it means" ;)
      It's about time I watched the movie again.

      Delete
  26. Blue GrumpsterApril 19, 2013 at 7:06 AM

    Pong.... I'd almost forgotten about that one, Lynda! Yes, it's the first computer game I ever played too. I must have been, what, 6?

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    Replies
    1. Lynda R Young as Elle CardyApril 19, 2013 at 8:52 AM

      The home version of Pong was first released for the Christmas season of 1975 apparently. Yikes, that was a long time ago... ;)

      Delete
  27. Aldrea AlienApril 19, 2013 at 7:56 AM

    Princess Bride and PERN, both wonderful 'P' choices. ^_^

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  28. MariaApril 19, 2013 at 8:13 AM

    Congrats on keeping up the challenge. That is awesome..

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  29. The Daily BernApril 19, 2013 at 9:08 AM

    Princess Bride is one of my all time favorites too! I love it! Plus Pong, forget about it! Timeless game!
    Shawn at Laughing at Life 2

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  30. UnknownApril 19, 2013 at 9:54 AM

    I really enjoyed the Peretti series and Pong! I played it for hours, even when I wasn't there :-) What a great game. Thanks for the memory.

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  31. UnknownApril 19, 2013 at 11:48 AM

    I LOVE The Princess Bride and "This Present Darkness." One of my favorite movies, and Frank Peretti's books are just fantastic. They've definitely made me think of the spiritual side of the world in a different way... and they're a great example of what prayer can do (also a "P" word for today! :) ).

    Jaimie at Living in the Light
    A to Z Ambassador

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  32. Rachna ChhabriaApril 19, 2013 at 3:46 PM

    Princess Bride is amazing. Will try Portal.

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  33. Nana PrahApril 19, 2013 at 8:35 PM

    Years ago my cousin sat me down and told me I HAD to watch The Princess Bride. He kept saying Mawage and laughing before the movie started. I absolutely loved it. Loved it. It too is one of my favorite movies of all time. What's not to like about it?

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I'd love to hear your opinion. Thanks for leaving a comment.