Movie Monday 8/30

Ah, Monday!  We had a nice weekend, but I'm expecting an even nicer week.  Craig went back to school this morning, and Jamie heads back tomorrow.  I love my kids, and we had a great summer, but I'm exhausted from the constant activity!  And last week was one of the worst - not only the usual barrage of kids at the house, sleepovers, nonstop laundry, and noise and chaos, but we had a last-week-of-summer flurry of extra stuff, too.

I was pleasantly surprised to wake up on Saturday feeling pretty good, so I did have a nice weekend.  I managed to clear off several kitchen counters which greatly improved my mental state.  Only problem was that I did some weeding yesterday that was obviously too much for me - it's so hard to stop after just 20 minutes when the yard is filled with weeds!  So, I crashed a bit today but am feeling much better after my nap.

So, we had a good movie week:

• When Craig slept over a friend's house, Ken, Jamie, and I watched Mission Impossible II.  Much like MI, it was filled with action and excitement.  I could do with fewer fight scenes and car chases, but Ken and Jamie enjoyed it very much and especially liked the cool motorcycle chase scene.
• The next night, with Craig wiped out from his sleepover, we all watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind, one of the best movies of all time!  Our kids hadn't seen it in many years and didn't remember most of it, so we all really enjoyed it.  It's especially cool since we've been to Devil's Tower in Wyoming.
• I coughed up some late fees at the library so that Ken and I could finally watch Up In The Air, the George Clooney hit of last year.  It was just as good as everyone says, about a frequent traveler who fires people for a living and has some major commitment issues.  At first I thought it would be predictable, but the ending surprised me. 
• Another evening when Craig was at a friend's house, the three of us watched State of Play, a political thriller starring Ben Affleck and a long-haired Russell Crowe.  Affleck is a rising star senator whose assistant is murdered, and Crowe is his old college roommate and friend who is also a reporter trying to track down the story behind her death.  Lots of twists and turns and suspense - we all liked it.
• Believe it or not, Jamie and I watched In Her Shoes this morning, he trying to make the best of his last lazy day of summer (he loves to watch the morning movie on FX channel since he's often run-down in the morning) and me because I was crashed pretty badly.  Though it's considered something of a chick flick, Jamie really liked it - he's going to make someone a good husband someday!  This is one of those rare occurrences where I actually liked the movie better than the book.

Have you seen any good movies lately?

P.S. If you're interested in what our family is reading this week, check out What Are You Reading Monday, a weekly feature on my book blog.