All in all, it was a good, quiet weekend of recovery - just what we all needed. We finally got all the Christmas decorations put away, and I did very little else, other than some cooking. I'm still sort of in limbo today, however, with both boys home from school. Jamie had a scheduled day off, but Craig crashed again yesterday afternoon - after a good weekend - with bad CFS symptoms plus nausea. There's a nasty stomach virus going around (one of the kids in our own neighborhood has it), so I'm thinking maybe that's what has triggered this unusual crash in Craig. I hope he rebounds quickly again.
But today is Monday and that means movies! We had a chance to watch several DVDs this weekend:
- With the kids, we watched G-Force, a cute adventure with guinea pigs starring as special agents in the FBI. It was especially amusing for us, as pet owners of various rodents over the years (currently mice). Nothing super-special (it was no Up), but a fun way to spend Saturday evening together.
- Ken and I watched No Country For Old Men. I knew it was very violent (not usually my kind of flick), but I wanted to see it because it was so highly acclaimed and had won so many awards. It was excellent, about a small town Texas sheriff searching for a psychopathic murderer on the loose before he finds his prey, an innocent guy who found his drug money after an earlier murder. There IS a lot of violence (guns and shooting), but the movie was very well-done and well-acted, though I was disappointed in the ending.
- Saturday night, we watched Fracture, a murder mystery of an entirely different kind, starring Anthony Hopkins as a really creepy guy who kills his wife (does anyone do creepy as well as Anthony Hopkins? I don't think so). The lawyer trying to prosecute the case against the very smart and slippery Hopkins is played by Ryan Gosling. This is intellectual and moral suspense, not an action movie, and it was very good (and I loved this ending!).
Re: the Super Bowl. I'm just happy for anything that can bring some joy to the people of New Orleans. I visited there twice in the 1990's (before getting sick) with my daughters Jazz Choir from high school. I fell in love with the city.
ReplyDeleteRe: No Country for Old Men. I am a big fan of the Cohen Brothers (one writes, one directs) and also love Javier Bardem as an actor (he plays the psychopath) but I did not like this movie. I found it unrelentlessly grim and couldn't find a character to care about. I think I was supposed to care about the Josh Brolin character but it just never happened for me. I did love their next movie: Burn After Reading. I thought it was hilarious even though the critics thought it was a poor follow-up to No Country. I've watched Burn After Reading twice!
I love reading about your movies on Monday! No, I'm not one for violence either. It's hard to stomach it - I'm such a wimp.
ReplyDeleteWe pretty much did the football thing yesterday. Hat's off to you for staying awake. Jes was the only one to last. Jeff died before the 4th quarter and I made it about 5 minutes into overtime. See - told you I'm a wimp. :)
Have a good week. Hope Craig is feeling better.
Toni -
ReplyDeleteI found No Country pretty grim, too. Thanks for the recommendation - I'll put Burn After Reading on my list!
Lori -
The only reason I made it so late is because I didn't know it was that late! The clock fell off our family room wall last week and broke, and I had no idea how late it was last night! ha ha
Sue
Hmm. I think I meant "relentlessly." "Unrelentlessly" isn't a word and, if it were, it would mean the opposite of what I was trying to convey!
ReplyDeleteYes, I think you and Ken would get a big kick out of Burn After Reading. It stars one of the Cohen brother's wives who's in a lot of their movies: Francis McDormant. Lots of other good actors too.
Hi Sue
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good weekend of recovery. That's good! I must say I was not wanting the Saints to win, as I am a life long Viking fan. Spent too many years in MN :)
Ahhhhh, so it goes.......
Hope you have a good week.
Ha ha, Toni - I knew what you meant!!
ReplyDeleteI requested Burn After Reading from the library - I'm just #2 on the list, so maybe we'll get it by this weekend! I LOVE Frances McDormand is everything she's done! I didn't realize she was married to one of the Cohen's.
Ken and I have a standard for grim movies - The House of Sand and Fog. Without a doubt, the MOST depressing movie ever made. By the end, every single character is dead, including one suicide via plastic bag and duct tape. Now when we see a depressing or grim movie, Ken says, "Well at least it wasn't plastic bags and duct tape." Compared to that one, No Country was uplifting!
Sue
"No Country for Old Men" was a very good movie. Javier did an incredible job in his role. I was totally convinced!
ReplyDeleteBTW, did I tell you my major in college was drama so theatre/acting has always been a passion of mine.
I guess it must be my military background but I love butt kicking movies and violence doesn't bother me unless it is the stuff like Saw V. That's just too disturbing for me.
Well, I know you know I just did a "Lord of the Rings" trilogy night, so I won't tell you about that one.
I just watched "PS I Love You" and "Message in a Bottle."
I am not the romantic kind of movie gal but I love "PS I Love You!" That is my favorite girlie flick ever!
And "Message in a Bottle" is so moving and powerful! Costner's portrayal was awesome, I thought.
I'm sorry to hear your son is still not feeling well. I really hope he feels better soon.
Well, back to writing. I'm am venting my frustration about calling our illness CHRONIC FATIGUE. Errr
Have a great day/evening!
Dominique -
ReplyDeleteYup, LOTR is classic, and even though we've seen all 3 dozens of times, my son will often watch them again when he's home sick - this week, he's on a Harry Potter kick, though (we've seen those dozens of times, too!).
I also like P.S. I Love You very much. I'll add Message in a Bottle to my list at the library - thanks!
Sue
I love your standard for grim movies, Sue, because that's my standard for grim (audio)books. And why? Because I listened to The House and Sand and Fog. You won't be surprised to learn that I didn't rent the movie.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy the Saints won also! It should be a fun superbowl as I'm also a Colts fan.
ReplyDeleteI thought No Country for Old Men was well done but as Toni says "grim" and it was hard to find a character to like.
I thought Fracture was excellent too. Anthony Hopkins does such a good job with playing the creepy pychopaths!
I hope Craig is feeling better...