Monday, April 26, 2010

Movie Monday 4/26

I did it!  I went away on the Women's Retreat for 24 hours and managed fairly well.  I missed the main event (a discussion group Saturday morning on loss), but I enjoyed the rest of the weekend.  It was wonderful to spend so much time with my two close friends, and I really enjoyed getting to know the other women there (10 in all).  I even managed a short walk on the beach - my wonderful friends went with me, at my snail's pace, and one of them even walked back for my car when we exited the beach at the wrong street (the beach was only two blocks from the house we were staying in, but they didn't object to driving there!)  We played games Saturday night, which I love, and spent a lot of time talking.  There was someone there with celiac disease, so I wasn't the only one with dietary restrictions or health problems.  Of course, being with other people for 24 hours was tiring, but all in all, I really enjoyed the mini getaway.  I was tired Sunday, but my afternoon nap perked me up.

So, we didn't have a lot of movie time this weekend (some of the women went to see Oceans at the theater, but I opted to stay behind for games!  They said it was excellent).  Ken and I watched one movie on Friday night:
  • One True Thing.  Quick summary:  I loved it; Ken didn't!  He felt it was too depressing, but I love movies that are based on real life, with all of its joys and sorrows.  Besides, crying over a movie sure beats crying over your own life.  Yes, I both laughed and cried!  The movie has an all-star cast, with Meryl Streep, William Hurt, and Renee Zellweger.  Renee plays a grown daughter who lives in NYC and works as a writer at New York magazine.  She comes home for a while when her mother (played by Meryl Streep) gets cancer.  She has always identified with her father who is a college literature professor; her goal in life was to not become her mother who is a very happy homemaker.  So, of course, this makes for a complicated  - and sometimes comical - situation when she returns home to care for her mother full-time.  I really liked this movie.
How about you?  Have you seen any good movies lately?

13 comments:

Renee said...

Hi Sue
Your weekend sounds so wonderfuL. so happy for you. I have seen that movie you watched a few years ago. Very sad, but good too...
Joel and I watched Julie/Julia on Sat. night...We both loved it, but thought the ending was a bit weird..
Meryl Streep did such a god job.

Sue Jackson said...

Hurray, Renee! You got to watch your movie this weekend - I'm so happy for you!

You know, you mentioned about sometimes not being able to watch 2 hours at a time...we sometimes watch movies in two sittings. And I have been known to choose movies based on short length!

Glad you enjoyed the movie.

Sue

Annie said...

Yay!! You got to go away for a bit! That's so exciting!

I also have been known to break movies in half - my brain just cannot seem to focus on one thing for that long!

Hope things stay looking up!!

Pamela said...

I haven't seen any movies lately, been a crazy week, but I did like One True Thing and Mike did not ... same reasons as you listed. I thought is was very real and Meryl Streep is one of my favorites :)

I'm glad you had a good weekend with your friends; doesn't it feel great to be somewhat normal every now & again?

Toni said...

Hooray for your weekend, Sue! I'm so happy for you.

Tony rented Avatar. He'd seen it in the theater and wanted me to watch it so badly. Even breaking it into three parts (it's 2 hours and 40 minutes) was too much for me. I was really sick last night. Too much fast action, too loud music. I just can't handle it. As for the movie, I thought the first hour was enchanting but the last hour was too much of a seen-it-to-many-times "shoot 'em up." I wish he'd taken this fabulous idea of this other world and done more with it than have so many machine guns shooting at the good guys. Well, that was my experience of Avatar!

Renee -- wasn't Meryl Streep just great in Julie/Julia?

Shelli said...

It sounds like a wonderful weekend! I'm glad you were able to go. There is something about reconnecting with other women that is so rejuvenating. My sisters and I are trying to coordinate a sisters' weekend; we're badly in need of some sister time. That would be heaven -- there are six of us, plus two sisters in law.

I think the next movie I'll be watching is Eclipse (a guilty pleasure). My poor husband has agreed to take me and my girls. :) He's the best!

Dusty Bogwrangler said...

Retreats are the best! They sounded a really supportive lot too. :-)

I haven't seen One True Thing yet but I did watch another film with William Hurt in it, Into the Wild. If you don't already know it, it's about a young man who leaves everything behind him, cuts loose from his family and has a grand plan to live alone in the wilds of Alaska. I really got hooked in and it's stayed with me for a couple of days.

Thanks for Movie Monday Sue!

GlasgowChris78 said...

My list for this week: 88 minutes; Harry Brown; Zombieland; Cypher; The life of David Gale; Looking For Eric.

Sue Jackson said...

Toni -
A friend took my kids to Avatar at the theater. they liked it, but Craig came home not feeling well - maybe too much stimulation for him! I'm with you on the shoot 'em up stuff.

Shelli -
A sister's weekend sounds wonderful - wow, 6 sisters? I hope you get to do it soon.

Jo -
Oh, my gosh, I LOVED Into the Wild. So sad but also so wonderful. And you're right - it stayed with me for so long after the movie finished. Just a stunning, powerful movie - one of my favorites.

Chris-
I love The Life of David Gale - I'll have to look into the others!

Sue

Kerry said...

How absolutely awesome that you got to go to the retreat for the weekend, participate and enjoy your friends (who by the way sound like terrific people).

I was excited to see that your "Movie Monday" post was back. I watched One True Thing a few years back and loved it. I was also moved by it and remember having the tissue box near.

John and I watched a unique and interesting movie Saturday night that left us feeling like we had listened to a beautiful piece of music. Matter of fact we drifted off to sleep easily afterwards, not due to boredom but due to the melody of the movie. The name is EAVESDROPPING. The entire movie takes place in a bar as patrons (a menagerie of intriguing characters) eavesdrop on each other's conversations and situations. There are some fun surprises at the end. This isn't a movie if you want to get the adrenaline pumping but if you are up for a relaxing watch this is a good one!

Sue Jackson said...

Kerry -

Yes, my friends are amazing!!

Eavesdropping sounds wonderful - I'm adding it to my list! Thanks for the recommendation -

Sue

Sue Jackson said...

Kerry -

I can't find Eavesdropping on the All-Movie Guide...when did it come out?

Sue

Anonymous said...

A new reader to your blog but plan to visit more frequently.
I applaud your positive attitude!
I also loved One True Thing.
I own the movie and will sometimes watch it when I need a good cry!
The book was great too!
God bless,
Helen(grammea)