I just found out I have leukemia, and will probably die within 3-6 months. Seriously. Merry Christmas to me. The worst part is all the movies I'll miss. Return Of The King, Matrix 2 &3, Indiana Jones 4, sigh... Anyway, this leads to a question for everyone. Suppose you knew you were going to die, and you had to pick one movie to watch before the Big Sleep. What would it be?
>I just found out I have leukemia, and will probably die within 3-6 months.
That really sucks. Are you going to try treating it?
>Seriously. Merry Christmas to me.
Any of the people with faith on this board want to try and put a positive spin on this?
>Anyway, this leads to a question for everyone. Suppose you knew you were
>going to die, and you had to pick one movie to watch before the Big Sleep. What
>would it be?
No clue. I think I'd want to get out and try as many other things as possible before the end.
Please tell us that you're not a fraud like our old friend Josh Patrick.
I'm sure you all remember him.
He was the joker who made a post on this phorum that claimed to have contracted AIDS and then blamed it on his cousin for typing it and then it was discovered that it was all a lie, solely fabricated by him.
I remember how angry everyone was after they had poured out their sympathies to him and then learned the truth.
Are you telling us the truth J.R.?
Seriously, don't f**ck with us.
If it's true, then you know that you have all of our support.
If not. Well, then it's open season and definitely a permanent banishment from here by Andrew & Co. I'd imagine.
I apologize if I sound a little skeptical but we've already been had once before by the afore mentioned.
I also apologize if this sounds a little unfeeling but give us some details of how you learned of your affliction and the thoughts that are running through your mind about it and how you plan to deal with it.
Josh Patrick ruined it for you if you ARE telling the truth.
It's like when a cop questions you and you're thinking that he's thinking that you're lying.
He's heard it before so he's reluctant to believe.
In the words of Happy Harry Hard-On, "Remember dear, I can smell a lie like a fart in a car!"
JohnL wrote:
>
> >I just found out I have leukemia, and will probably die
> within 3-6 months.
>
Same thing happened to my Uncle a few months ago.
> >Seriously. Merry Christmas to me.
>
> Any of the people with faith on this board want to try and
> put a positive spin on this?
>
If you believe, you have life eternal. Plain and simple, no spin needed.
> >Anyway, this leads to a question for everyone. Suppose you
> knew you were
> >going to die, and you had to pick one movie to watch before
> the Big Sleep. What
> >would it be?
>
>
Jaws. It's my favorite movie of all time.
J.R. I'm going to take this as you have stated it and I don't mean anything disrespectful by this post.
The body is so troublesome that it makes life hell, Someday we will all live without the body and know its opposite which is the eternal body. God has given us the limited, so we can know the unlimited. Most of all J.R. remember that All Things Exist. If you can imagine it then it exist.. This is the true faith. Dwell on your eternal qualities of Stillness and Movement which are also qualities of the Creator. They are truely the primal elements from which all things stem.
We are only strangers to this world and time is brief for all.
About the movies. I'm thinking Robert Deniro in THE MISSION. This is a good film. TOMBSTONE with Holidays friendship with Earp. In essence this brings ultimate meaning to life. Though we don't always find that type of friendship in life we can know that in the Godhood all things are possible. Those who have this faith will find perfect joy one day in the time to come which we call the afterlife.
Here is wishing the best for all of us and especially you my friend J.R.
Man thats awful! I hope you treat it or something. Even though i don't know anyone on the board personally, it would be a great loss. I hope you overcome this somehow.
I'm not saying this to be flip or anything, but there are potential benefits to this. First off it's liberating in a way.
My dad always said "plan as if you're going to live forever, but live as if this is your last day on earth." In your case this is the plain truth. I'd say savor what you know to be limited. Leukemia will debilitate you over time so seek every advantage you can. Go skydiving. You've got 6 months to avoid as many "if only I had..." scenarios as possible. Mend the bridges you've burned. Forgive those in your life that your holding grudges against.
Also remember that we're all going to die and none of us were promised x number of years. This is yours. Make the most of it. If you've got a book to write or a project you've been putting off I'd suggest using this ultimate deadline as a motivating force to follow through.
My friend who died of AIDS said "you play the hand that's dealt you." Don't wallow in the affliction. Worship what it has not yet taken.
Make it count.
If I could only watch one more movie, it would be Jean-Pierre Jeunet's AMELIE.
I really am sick. See, I already had lymphoma a few years ago. I had aggressive chemo, got better and moved on. But, one of the chemo drugs is actually the cause of my new condition. I have to choose within the next few days whether I want treatment or if I want to die naturally. I still have very little chance of survival with chemo, because it depends on finding a donor and whether I can still stand it after the heavy treatment I already got. Sorry to bum everybody out, but it is B-movie related, because movies helped me get through it last time, and I hope they will now.
I don't have a movie to suggest but I have a song for you:
"San Jucinto" by Peter Gabriel
In one of the few moments in life where I've actually said anything serious, you have my deepest sympathies, my friend. Us B-movie people are a tight-knit group, and even if we don't know each other personally, we take care of our own. Here you will not be forgotten.
I would probably watch the Evil Dead trilogy, Split Second, and Re-Animator as my final flings in the world of cinema, and to rip off Funk E., I have a song to recommend as well. "Song for the Road" by Tanglefoot. It's a beautiful lyric and I think you would enjoy it.
Brother R
Actually I thin I would watch all ABBOTT and COSTELLO movies and tv shows. I could watch them over and over again. They always hit the right spot for me.
Hey man.
For your question, I would recomind Cowboy Bebop (movie or series) or Wild Zero. On a personal note, I can't think of anything to say, other than that I'm sorry. I've noticed that you usually had a response to my posts (even the ones that went a little off topic) and I wish I could do something to make everything better. This might sound trite, but just go out there and have no regrets. Just do the things you have always wanted to do, and never let any of the bastards get you down.
D
THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD
DEAD ALIVE
BAD TASTE
RE-ANIMATOR
GHOST WARRIOR
FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON
Even though they are on a horror/sci-fi basis, they are nonetheless fun and will give you a great amount of enjoyment on that final day.
THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD
DEAD ALIVE
BAD TASTE
RE-ANIMATOR
GHOST WARRIOR
FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON
Even though they are on a horror/sci-fi basis, they are nonetheless fun and will give you a great amount of enjoyment on that final day. But if you are only going to watch one out of the list, then I do recommend FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON. It's enjoyable, entertaining, and oh-so much fun.
I've started this message 4 times but they all sounded like warmed-over mushy cliches, so I'll just say don't give up hope -- you never know.
As for movies, I would say, load up on Mystery Science Theaters and laugh your ass off.
Firstly, I'm pulling for you pal. I wish you the best of luck and in seriousness if there's anything I can do, let me know. Secondly, and strangely, the first film I'd watch before the big sleep, is...The Big Sleep! Just got it on DVD, a pre-release and a theatrical version...AWESOME. Number B on the list, DEAD-ALIVE, the muther-humpin' best frikkin' movie ever made! My third pick Gunga-Din, hell I dunno, I just friggin' like it! And finally....anything with Joe Don...mother forkin'...Baker!!!!
PS. I was wondering what happened with the Josh Patrick thing! Oh, dammit...I never get the memos!!! I mean it's not like I left the friggin' planet...close, Bosnia....but not quite. Love you guys...mean it!
I've lost quiet a few friends with in the past few years to cancer in many of it's forms. Keep up hope because just as I've lost friends I also have had quite a few beat it.
I saw someone mentioned a song for inspiration. The only one that comes to mind is "The Spirit Caries On" from Dream Theater off of Scenes from a Memory.
Now as far as films go Whoops Apocalypse! is the first thing that comes to mind. I never get tired of seeing Michael Richards as a sex toy sales man trying to sell an inflatable sheep to a southern sheriff, "If you want to hear it climax you just pull the string." Or the whistling condoms, "Come in 7 different tunes and so can you."
I laugh so hard at this film cry, and any film that can do that to me is among the best.
I actually hope you are joking than being serious. But I guess it may be better to know than to not ,as anyone at anytime could die unexpectedly. All my best in any case, some piece of advice for anyone really...just enjoy every bit you can.
As for my last movie i hate to say would probably be home movies. I've found they've always been far more scarier and funnier than anything I could rent. ;-)
Don't give up. I'd recommend "Spirited away", it reminded me of sensations and ideas I only had experienced as a child.
Words cannot express how I feel. Though, I would suggest, if you do decide to seek a donor, you post what type of donor needed, here at this board.
I have no fear I've been redeemed already but since you ask all the critters film and Shark attack 3 and the whole Halloween series
No one who requests all of the Critters and Halloween sequels as their final movie watching experiences has been truly redeemed! :)
The Straight Story (1999) David Lynch
A film that makes you appreciate every moment of your life.
That's horrible JR. Sorry man. Here's some good flicks.
Spiritual:
Ninth Configuration
Bad Lieutenant
Good ole fashioned fun:
Evil Dead Trilogy (always good)
Cemetery Man
Deadly Spawn (great low budget alien film)
Split Image (James Woods and Michael O' Keefe are amazing. Their intense performances almost make this a comedy)
Death Drug (hard to find, but Phillip Michael Thomas is hillarious)
Dr. Butcher M.D. (in fact any Ian McCulloch film, but this is him at his peak)
Wild Zero
Nihilistic Films where you can say "At least I'm not him":
Funny Games
Combat Shock
Irreversible
I Stand Alone
And lots of porn (kidding).
It must be a very frightening time for you. I've confronted my own mortality two or three times in my life, not through any real threat, but through bouts of depression. It was much like the kid in What About Bob, only much stronger and not so easily dismissed. Death could come tomorrow or in 80 years, but we're all heading straight for it, and it cannot be escaped. Then what? After having that stuck in my head for a couple of months, I have the deepest respect for anyone who is really staring death in the face.
Based on that, perhaps you might like something a bit more philosophical. I found myself drawn to stuff like Vanishing Point and Falling Down, where the protagonists are driven round the bend by forces around them, and in the end, see death as a release. Not that I was thinking along those lines - far from it. If a pill could have given me immortality, I would have taken it in that frame of mind. The movies just gave me philosophical food for thought.
Of course, with only a few months, I wonder if repeat viewings of the recorded works of other people is the best use of the time. Might be better to get out and do something real.
It's been a depressing past few days for me, and this takes the cake. I don't even know you JR, and it makes me sad. I don't know about you (or anyone else), but this type of question has popped up every now and then throughout my life: What would you don if you only had 6 months to live? Don't know if it helps, but here's some of the things I would do:
BASE jumping (or skydiving)
Climb a large mountain
To quote Agent Cooper from Twin Peaks: "Make love to a beautiful woman whom I have genuine affection for."
Visit Africa and Australia
Think the Soviets would let me be a Cosmonaut? I probably don't have the cash for it....
Find a good home for any pets I have.
Throw things at cop cars (non-explosive of course, well maybe a firecracker or two).
Ride in a hot air balloon.
Look up all the people I've hurt in my life and say sorry (and let them beat me up if they want).
Been meaning to write that book (can always post it on line for everyone to see).
Do any random thing that comes to mine, regardless of how insane or inane. Consequences don't exactly figure into these things, so what the hell.
Quit my job to do all of these things (thank god for stock options... sell sell!).
Above all, spend as much time as you can with any loved ones, even if it means not doing some of the things above.
As for movies to watch, a couple come to mind. If it's still in the theater where you live, I recommend Solaris. I found it to be a highly moving film. And though I'm not a big fan of John "filty man-animals!" Travolta, I did enjoy Phenomenon, and it is about this very topic. AndyC suggested Falling Down. This is a very good movie about about a man with nothing to lose. I would add Shawshank Redemption to this list, really because of something Red said: "Get busy living, or get busy dying."
All the best JR.
Here's my few cents: Do all you can while you still have your mobility. Be it skydiving or just cheap thrills at a carnival, have fun. See if you can find a film someone is making and try to be an extra, though that might just be something I'd do. Spend the time on your feet collecting bad films and later on spend the time on your back watching them. Perhaps you could get "Return of the King" off of something like KAZAA. I wish you good luck in however this plays out.
"Man need only fear the things that he can prevent."
----ooo-'U'-ooo------Kilroy was here.
You should watch "Mask", not the Jim Carry one but the Eric Stoltz one. Cheers.
Anything that makes you happy.
for me, "The Princess Bride," "The adventures of Milo and Otis" and "The Goonies" probably "Little Monsters" as well. All of the movies that my bro and I used to watch when we were little.
I honestly have no suggestions for what you should do with the rest of your life. I'd like to think I'd spend it doing great things, but part of me thinks I'd just be terribly depressed. I hope you do realize that you have already done a great service to everyone on this board. I at least thank you for allowing me the opportunity to realize how rich my life is, and I think i take things a bit less for granted now, and have been hugging my loved ones just a little tighter. I'm not suggesting that this be any consolation to you, but your story has changed my life. I thank you for that, and wish you peace, love, and happiness throughout your last days on this earth, and wherever you may travel beyond.
This makes me very sad. I hope that you defy all of the expectations and instead live a long life.
Well that's just not good news.
I don't have any good ideas for what you can do with your time. Figure you would know better than me. I, for one, have always wondered what it would be like to wear a shirt that's been ironed.
As for movies, I think you could get a big kick out of zombie films. Also, I second THE PRINCESS BRIDE. You should probably also watch some absolute crap (like SLAPSTICK) to make you not so sorry that you're going.
Now don't think me crass, but perhaps you should have somebody inform us if you actually pass.
I don't know. I am at a loss for words.
Have you heard of the drug Glivec? i edit a show and we did a piece on a guy with leukemia and he said the drug really helped. From what I hear it's getting a priority review by the Food and Drug Administration, but is still considered experimental. Also, Battle Royale is a really good film.