What are your favorite movie lines? Here are a few of mine:

"I'll have what she's having." (When Harry Met Sally)

"I wanted to see exotic Vietnam... the crown jewel of Southeast Asia. I wanted to meet interesting and stimulating people of an ancient culture... and kill them. I wanted to be the first kid on my block to get a confirmed kill!" (Full Metal Jacket)

"Hal? Open the pod bay doors, Hal. Hal?" (2001: A Space Odyssey)

"Your friends are dead...and I killed them all." (Coffey)

"The stuff that dreams are made of." (The Maltese Falcon)

"What we've got here is failure to communicate." (Cool Hand Luke)

"You write "Born to Kill" on your helmet and you wear a peace button. What's that supposed to be, some kind of sick joke?" (Full Metal Jacket)

"Soylent Green is people!" (Soylent Green)

"Son, all I've ever asked of my marines is that they obey my orders as they would the word of God. We are here to help the Vietnamese, because inside every gook there is an American trying to get out. It's a hardball world, son. We've gotta keep our heads until this peace craze blows over." (Full Metal Jacket)

"I drink your milkshake!" (There Will Be Blood)

As anyone loudmouth at a party knows, these snappy lines can come in handy when you are in need of an icebreaker, or perhaps when the ice is already smashed and you need a clever exit line. Cool movie quotes make you appear learned and worldly in the eyes of fellow drunks, university students, tipsy females, and older folk who can still manage to remember something. "Aw, isn't he sweet," says Aunt Millie, "he wants me to meet his lil' friend."

Now, you could search ebay or some illegal file sharing site for the bootleg recordings of these actual film quotes so that you too can absorb the inflections and vocal minutiae of such bold character actors as Humphrey Bogart, Strother Martin or Charlton Heston. Or you could start from scratch with fresh material that most people aren't even aware of and seem even smarter!

Considering that the US is an extremely literate nation where most self respecting people prefer books over television or DVDs, I suggest you memorize the following MP3s from musician Robert Fripp, motivational speaker Patricia Fripp (no relation), poetic master T.S. Eliot, and the king of absurdity, Clarissa the Clown. Just think. You'll have every base covered: the cynical diatribes of a miserly guitar player, feel good homilies from a woman who should know, the poetic wonder of an English treasure, and a little naïve humor to complete your studies. Okay, kids, get cracking!

Explore the following MP3s and take what you need. A little memorization will come in handy, as well as an open mind.

Robert Fripp... Unplugged!

Robert Fripp
"When Robert Met Jimi Hendrix" (mp3)
from "Robert Fripp... Unplugged!"
(Musical Concepts Inc.)

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Patricia Fripp Compelling Stories: The Inside Secrets

Patricia Fripp
"Introduction - Stories" (mp3)
from "Compelling Stories: The Inside Secrets"
(eKeynote)

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T.S. Eliot Reading Poems & Choruses

T.S. Eliot
"Portrait Of A Lady" (mp3)
from "T.S. Eliot Reading Poems & Choruses"
(Saland Publishing)

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Clarissa the Clown & The Village Folk

Clarissa the Clown & The Village Folk
"Clarissa the Clown" (mp3)
from "Clarissa the Clown & The Village Folk"
(M-Y Audio books and Spoken Word)

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Loving Annabelle - Aurah: While we're talking film scores, quotes and the magical power of love, why not dream your cares away with a track from Aurah's soundtrack to Loving Annabelle? My grandmother's name was Annabelle. But she wasn't too lovely. In fact, she looked just like Abraham Lincoln. She ate peanut butter and black coffee every morning of her life. And she took care of her crazy brother, my great uncle, who tried to kill himself after insisting that the post office where he worked had buried microphones in the ceiling. 20 years later we found out that he was right, but by that time he was already a total wack-job, smoking Camels all day and driving my G-ma to drink so much coffee that she eventually had a stroke. Loving Annabelle? He didn't, but we still revere her memory.

Aurah
"All Over Me - featuring Lindsey Harper" (mp3)
from "Loving Annabelle - Original Film Score"
(Very Music)

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