The boys and I watched LOTS of movies last week, with all three of us crashed all week and splayed out all over the family room - Harry Potter 4 and 5, Bedtime Stories (which was better than I expected), The Last Mimzy, and whatever movie was showing on Disney at noon every day! It was a looong week. Thankfully, both boys went back to school today.
Ken and I watched more DVDs than usual, since all of our favorite TV shows are now on hiatus until 2010:
- Lars and the Real Girl. OK, this one sounds really strange, but it was very good! It's about a lonely, extremely shy guy in a quiet northern town who orders a life-sized doll named Bianca from the internet and then treats her like she's his real girlfriend. I know, I know...Ken said to me, "Does the back of the DVD describe this one as quirky?" As a matter of fact, it does! It's funny but also surprisingly warm and sweet, with a great performance by Academy Award-winner Ryan Gosling.
- The Great Debators. An amazing movie starring Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker based on a true story of the first African-American college debate team that competed against white colleges, including Harvard. It's set in the 1930's in Texas and is both disturbing and inspiring. It's the kind of movie that gets you cheering for the protagonists! I'd love for Jamie to watch this one, too.
- The Kite Runner. Ken and I both read and loved the book, and the movie was just as incredible. It's a fascinating story of two boys growing up in Afghanistan before the Communists invaded. One boy, Amir, is the son of a wealthy, well-educated father, and the other, Hassan, is the son of their household servant. The boys are best friends until something terrible happens to Hassan that Amir feels guilty over for the rest of their lives. The story follows the boys as they grow into men and Amir and his father flee the country amid the terrible destruction of the invasion and subsequent wars. Although what happens to Hassan is deeply disturbing, Amir find redemption in the end, as their story comes full circle. It's a powerful and compelling movie (and book) that also gives you an inside view into the devastation Afghanistan has endured.
5 comments:
I haven't: I've got Julie & Julia waiting for me, but I haven't had a chance to plug it in yet. I'm looking forward to this weekend, bc my nephew is coming for a sleepover, and we'll watch something christmasy.
Have a good week!
The Kite Runner sounds especially good. My daughter recommended the book I know. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!!!!!
I loved the Great Debators and Kite Runner ... although of course I liked the book better! Same goes for Harry Potter. Great movie choices!
I loved Kite Runner too even though I'd also listened to the book (on audiotape). Most reviewers said: if you've read the book, you'll be disappointed in the movie. Not me. I thought both were excellent.
I watched "Julie & Julia." The movie is a "must see" just to watch Meryl Streep in the Julia role. She is just fabulous and it's great to learn about the life of Julia Childs. The movie is based on the book by Julie (who baked all of Julia's recipes in a year) and also on a biography of Julia (who lived a very interesting life, indeed). I hope Meryl Streep wins all the awards for this movie for which I'm sure she'll be nominated.
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