i do love Romeo & Juliet.

Man, I hadn't watched Baz Luhrmann's version of Romeo & Juliet for ages. Probably since way before HotCop and I moved out of our house on N First Street. It's true, I love it-- probably more for the context of my life in which I saw it for the first time than for the reasons I list below:

• Michael as Mercutio! Funny AND badass. I will always love the line "Ask for me tomorrow and you will find me a grave man."
  
• Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo -- because in this version his main job is to look delectable (sorry honey) enough for Juliet to fall in love with him and not look stupid in a Hawaiian shirt. It's before he got all old and hard looking.
  
• Claire Danes as Juliet -- I'm from the My So-Called Life generation. There is no greater dramatic teenager than Angela. The look she gives when she says "What satisfaction canst thou have?" OMG. Great.
  
• Paul Rudd as Paris! Hot & goofy, exactly what he should be.
  
• Love love love the music.
  
• It's just kind of a steamy movie, don't you think?
  

I have a love/hate relationship with Luhrmann's twist on the ending -- I *hate* that she says his lips are still warm because HE IS STILL ALIVE OF COURSE THEY ARE. And I *hate* that he says "thus with a kiss I die" after she is awake. But-- but-- as I watched it today I still got that "wait, maybe she'll wake up in time" feeling even though it's FREAKING ROMEO & JULIET for Pete's sake.

I love it. I do.