Movie Monday 2/1

What's that sound? It's silence! The boys have today off, but a friend's mom took them all to see Avatar this afternoon. This is wonderful for two reasons: I finally get a little quiet time and the boys won't be too active the day before returning to school. It's very strange being the parent of two kids with CFS. Most parents are trying to get their kids off the couch and outside; our boys love to play outside and we're always worried that they're being too active, so we encourage them to come in and play video games! It's a bizarre life, isn't it?

Anyway, we watched some great movies this weekend. We've seen lots of thrillers, action movies, and serious dramas the past few weeks, and this weekend was a nice respite with two light-hearted movies:

• Burn After Reading. When I mentioned last week that the Cohen Brothers' No Country for Old Men was a bit dark, Toni recommended their lighter comedy, Burn After Reading. We loved this farcical comedy with an all-star cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand (one of my favorite actresses), John Malkovich, and Tilda Swinton (the White Witch from Narnia). As the Cohen Brothers themselves explain, "It's a little hard to summarize this one. It's sort of about the Central Intelligence Agency and physical fitness and what happens when those two worlds collide." George Clooney adds, "It's a comedy - I think - about some shockingly dumb people..." Both descriptions are apt. McDormand and Pitt are especially hilarious as two of those shockingly dumb people - two fitness instructors who come up with a crazy get-rich-quick scheme. It's filled with mistaken identities, misunderstood motives, and everyone sleeping with everyone else - Ken said it reminded him of a complicated Lucy episode (except for the sleeping around part). This is a great movie if you're going through a rough time and looking for some pure escapism fun! Thanks for the great suggestion, Toni!
• Happy-Go-Lucky. This is a sweet drama that I heard about from Very Short List. It's a UK movie (I saw a Tesco, Jo!) featuring Poppy, a young woman who is the ultimate optimist. Life isn't always perfect for Poppy, but she smiles, cracks jokes, and giggles even in the face of challenges that would make the rest of us scream. Poppy is a primary school teacher with a huge heart who encounters a surly driving instructor who seems oblivious to her sunny disposition. It's a funny, heartwarming story - another nice, light pick-me-up!

Have you seen any good movies lately?