...I Was As Light As The Ether.

I'm quite a creature of repetition. It's 2:31 AM, and I spent the last thirty minutes looking for my copy of "Raising Arizona". I can't fall asleep without a movie on, and moreover, when I get in the mood to watch a certain movie, no other movie will do. Some of the movies I rely heavily are:

• Cast Away
Duh. It's like an hour and a half of ocean noises. How could that not be peaceful? Oh yeah. The plane crash.

• Lord of the Rings
Any one will do. Pleasant, if inaccurate, British accents, awed hushes when they introduce a new set piece, you know the deal.

• Gangs of New York
Daniel Day-Lewis is dreamy. I wish to dream. Ergo, Gangs of New York.

• Arrested Development: Season Two
Trying to learn by osmosis.

• Adaptation
Don't know why, but this one works, too.

Raising Arizona has some of the best narration I've ever heard, and much of it is delivered in a gentle, hushed whisper, often describing the imagery of the main character's dreams. It's a great movie to fall asleep to. Unfortunately, my copy is a Netflix copy I've long since lost and paid for, then found again, only to lose again. Naturally, I've convinced myself I've seen it recently, and have furiously followed my trail of DVD's in the wrong cases through four rooms in my apartment, and all I'm left with is a copy of "American Beauty" without a case, a case for "Return to Me" without a movie, and yet another sleepless night.