SUNSET FOR "FRIDAY MOVIE SUGESTION NIGHT"

At the end of this month, "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" will conclude it's run. This was not a hard decision to make. And I say this because as a good friend of mine once taught me, "Decision making is easy, when you don't have any alternatives--not necessarily less painful, but easier", and this is the fact. As I have shared on these pages many times, FMSN began on September 15, 2005. My objective was to create a fun, if not irreverent Blog movie feature. The approach would be casual and fun (with an interesting anecdote or two thrown in for good measure) and quite often tongue-in-cheek. Which is to say, I never really took myself seriously. But I loved the films we presented passionately. For 40 months, and roughly 170 films this feature has been an absolute joy. However, as healthy and positive changes have come into my life, the feature has become difficult to sustain with many personal and professional interests requiring more of my time and attention. So, while this month will be our "farewell", allow me to share some of the positive aspects that will continue!

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First, there are the many memories of films that have endeared themselves to me and I will be featuring "Memorable Moments" in these final days of 2008. Next, there were the private e-mails that I received from film producers, children of directors, and friends of the actors featured in the our film selections who generously shared with me their thoughts and "behind the scenes" stories (that I've chosen to keep private). There were simple notes of appreciation--all of which I cherish. We featured Drama, Comedy, Foreign Film, Independent Film, Documentaries, Music Concerts, Opera and animated film. Thankfully we avoided films that were exploitative or those featuring actors whose social responsibility was...shall I say, less than exemplary (one of the few licenses I enjoyed as the feature creator). A poignant entry earlier this year came in the form of a YouTube presentation which became the "feature" itself (a 10 minute presentation)...one of may "firsts" for us. And then came a resilient, touching and most unexpected development that sprang forth from "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" with "The Annual Steve McQueen Film Festival". Rest assured that THIS FEATURE WILL CONTINUE each March during the week of the 24th, celebrating the birthday of my favorite actor, Steve McQueen. Curiously, in 2006 a software glitch caused us to lose the full inventory of films that we managed to present. And when personal circumstances warranted an interruption, I took action to delay the feature, and then went on to explain "why".

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In closing, I want to thank each and every one of you who have been so kind and supportive of "Friday Movie Suggestion Night". Sadly, many of the original bloggers who were here in 2005 have closed their Blog sites entirely, and we have even lost a couple of people who meant so much to us in the BLOG community; they are missed. With this change, I will be able to devote more of my personal attention to updating my full website (which is underway) and enjoying more time visiting each of your sites too! I appreciate and cherish each and every one of you. Below is just a sampling of the films we have enjoyed together:

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32 Short Films About Glenn Gould, Cinema Paradiso, Cool Runnings, Children of a Lesser God, Patch Adams, The Last Waltz, Play It Again, Sam, Woodstock (The 1969 Aquarian Music & Arts Festival), Author!, Author!!, The Legend of Zorro, The Fisher King, Stealing Home, The Graduate, The Horse Whisperer, The Verdict, Junior Bonner, 12 Angry Men, The Towering Inferno, The Fabulous Baker Boys, The Last Picture Show, The Pink Panther, Exodus, Sabrina, Dirty Dancing, Scent of a Woman, La Traviata (Zeffirelli-Opera film), Taxi Driver, Cactus Flower, Chariots of Fire, American Graffitti, Brubaker, Let It Be (The Beatles), Beyond the Sea, Casablanca, The Outlaw Josie Wales, The Banger Sisters, A Black and White Night (Roy Orbison Concert Documentary), Atlantic City, The Freshman, Tom Horn, The Electric Horseman, The Getaway, Papillon, Le Mans, The Sand Pebbles, The Great Escape, Never So Few, Standing in the Shadows of Motown (The Funk Brothers' Documentary), Swept Away (Foreign Film), Kramer vs. Kramer, Serpico, Conrack, The Big Chill, Starting Over, Moonstruck, Broadcast News, In the Heat of the Night, East of Eden, Citizen Kane, Someone to Love, Bridges of Madison County, Elvis: Aloha Via Satellite from Hawaii (1973 Worldwide Concert), GIANT, To Sir With Love, Summer of 42', Over the Rainbow: A Performance by Eva Cassidy, St. Elmo's Fire, August Rush, Capote, Nell, Five Easy Pieces, Silver Streak, "10", Miracle On 34thStreet, The Maltese Falcon, Patience, From Here To Eternity, Experience: Jimi Hendrix Live in The United Kingdom, Message in a Bottle, In The Shadow of The Moon (The Apollo Astronaut's Documentary), Coal Miner's Daughter, That's Life!, Good Night and Good News, Driving Miss Daisy, Picnic, Rear Window, Network, Good Morning Vietnam, Key Largo, Round Midnight, Wall Street, The Man Who Loved Women, This Is Elvis (Biography), Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, The Commitments, HUD, Butterfield 8, Moulin Rouge, Grand Canyon, For Your Eyes Only, Belle De Jour (Foreign Film), I Am Sam, High Fidelity, Tender Mercies, The Magnificent Seven, Soldier In The Rain, Annie Hall, Deliverance, Barefoot in the Park, The Sound of Music, Quiz Show, The African Queen, Gigot!, Arthur, Save the Tiger, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, The Cincinnati Kid, Bullitt, The Hunter, The Who Live at The Royal Albert Hall in 2000, Love With The Proper Stranger, The Misfits, Ed Wood, Amost Famous, The Freshman, Frankie & Johnny, Running, Shine A Light: The Rolling Stones Live in New York, 2006, Raging Bull, Across the Universe, West Side Story, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Cocoon, Ed Wood, Elvis: That's The Way It Is (Las Vegas 1969 Concert Documentary), All The President's Men, Straight Time, A Night at The Opera, Say Anything, South Pacific, Pale Rider, An Affair to Remember, Slapshot, 48 Hours, Tootsie, Coach Carter, Cool Hand Luke, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, Hamlet, Harry & Son, Say Amen, Somebody (Documentary), The Manchurian Candidate, Hotel, Stand by Me, E.T., A Touch of Evil, Tucker: A Man and His Dream, Carousel, SOB, Victor Victoria, Stalag 17, M*A*S*H, Easy Rider, Two Mules for Sister Sarah, Dirty Harry, Any Which Way But Loose, Bronco Billy, Blazing Saddles, Chimes at Midnight, Renaldo & Clara (Bob Dylan and the Rolling Thunder Revue with Joan Baez), The Brave One, Say Anything, Dead Poet's Society, Good Will Hunting, Rachel, Rachel, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Country, Crazy People, Teachers.

Thank You for a Great 40 Months!

See You Soon...

Michael