- With the kids, we watched Planet 51, a very clever animated movie about what happens when a US astronaut lands on an alien planet that looks curiously similar to Earth in the 1950's, only with green-skinned, antennaed citizens. We all enjoyed it.
- With Craig at a sleep-over party Saturday night, we watched The Sum of All Fears, starring Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman, with Jamie. He'd never seen a movie based on a Tom Clancy book before (this was one of his Jack Ryan stories), and he loved it! I don't know if I should recommend this one to people with CFS, though - it was so tense and suspenseful, my heart was racing!
- Ken and I watched Northfork Friday night. How to describe this movie? The word that kept coming to Ken and I was...weird! It's about a town in the early 1950's that is going to be flooded when a new dam is put into use. It sounds like an interesting concept, right? The movie centers on 6 men, all dressed identically in black, who are responsible for getting the last stragglers to leave town - a guy and his two wives who've built an ark, a guy who's nailed his shoes (with feet in them) to his porch, a devoted priest with a sick orphan in his care. The whole movie is filmed in this dark, creepy style where everything looks like it's black and gray, and, most perplexing, there is a sub-plot involving angels. Way beyond quirky.
- Saturday night, we watched Lean on Me, another movie starring Morgan Freeman, this time as the principal of a failing high school in New Jersey. It was based on a true story of how the principal took over this school that was like a war zone and transformed it. This is the kind of movie that leaves you with a lump in your throat and a chill down your spine. It's a real uplifting story. In fact, I think the kids would have liked it, too.
Have you seen any good movies lately?
This weekend we watched Fantastic Mr. Fox and loved it. For some reason, I don't like animated films but this one had George Clooney and Meryl Streep in it, so I took a chance. I loved that they used the old-fashioned animation technique (puppets with wire inside so they could be moved slightly, photographed, moved slightly, photographed, etc. and then eventually turned into film). I loved the theme of all animals being wild at heart. We've been teasing our hound dog, Rusty, ever since we watched. it.
ReplyDeleteFantastic Mr. Fox is definitely on our list, Toni! I've heard it's great.
ReplyDeleteThe best animated film I've ever seen was Up - I actually cried!
Sue
Movie Monday again already?! My list for this week: Juno, Casino, The Krays, Face, Enemy Of The State (classic) and Training Day. Not as many as last week because I blitzed my way through both series of Ashes To Ashes. Quality.
ReplyDeleteI saw The Sum Of All Fears several years ago at the cinema while in Brussels (says it all about that city) and must admit that I really didn't like it. Each to their own.
See you next week....
Chris - I liked Juno and really love its soundtrack - it's quirky but fun, just like the movie!
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A couple of weeks ago, I saw Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day. It's utterly beautiful; filmed in the jewel tones of the '20's art deco era and super funny. I love it:)
ReplyDeleteOther faves, The Family Stone, Wives and Daughters and Signs. Right now Law and Order CI is in heavy rotation via Netflix Instant Watching.
Sue, we watched Twilight. I wasn't looking forward to it, didn't want to watch it. Thought that we'd put it on & I'd fall asleep but I found myself drawn in. I actually watched the whole movie in one sitting, which is unusual for me. I'm not a big fan of this new 'vampire' craze, but I can see that the book was probably well-written and why my pre-teen cousin loves them so much.
ReplyDeleteHi Sue, What a week your family has had. Thank goodness for movies! Lean on me with Morgan Freeman sounds really good--going to add that to our netflix que.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter just had minor surgery and she's sleeping next to me. We bought her "Where the Wild Things Are"--which she loves. I haven't seen it yet, so looking forward to watching it with her when she is less groggy. She is one who can watch a favorite movie over and over and over, so imagine I'll be watching it a lot these next few days.
My husband and I also watched a weird movie this weekend. We love the Cohen brothers. We watched their latest- Serious Man- and absolutely didn't get it. If anyone did "get it"--could you help us "get it"?
Sue I'm so glad you do these movie Mondays. They are practical and light and fun. Hope your family is moving on up in health and function.
deBergerac -
ReplyDeleteI LOVED Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - great movie! I watched it while Ken was away. The lead actress, Frances McDormand, is one of my favorites!
PJ - I am also not a fan of the new vampire romance genre - I haven't read the Twilight books or seen the movies! Craig saw New Moon at a friend's house this weekend and wasn't too impressed (but he's a 12-year old boy). I suppose I should see what all the fuss is about, though.
Kerry - We don't always "get" movies either! Ken and I were just talking about Movie Mondays (he's been reading my blog regularly lately), and we said the same thing. I feel like it's a nice break to talk about something NORMAL here, not illness-related, and one of the few things we can all participate in!
Sue
We saw Mr. Fox as well. There are few cynical or off-colour moments, so I can see why it's rated PG instead of G, but overall the charm and energy of the movie is wonderful. And the animation is very well done and seamless, with incredibly detailed models and puppets. Streep and Clooney are excellent, and I think they made a good choice with Streep's voice. The character of Mrs. Fox has more depth and weight than if they'd used a higher, younger voice. And their strange son, Ash, is a cartoon version of Jason Schwartzmann's usual characters, not always likable, but a good caricature of some of humanity's odder traits.
ReplyDeleteI'd recommend this movie for the overall feeling and design. There is less of Anderson's intentionally awkward and sometimes cringe-making dialogue than in his other films, so it's definitely easier to watch. I like most of his films, but they do have their moments of cringe!
D.
Oh, I miss movies! I was a huge film fan back in the day, but can no longer watch movies or TV due to neurological problems with CFS. I used to keep a list of movies I wanted to see when better, but when that list reached well over 200, I thought maybe I should stop keeping track. :-) But it's nice to read other people's reviews and live vicariously. :) Hope your son feels better and his crash lifts soon!!
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