Movie Tuesday 7/26

(sigh)...Tuesday afternoon (almost evening) already, and I still haven't written my usual Monday post, let alone any posts last week.  Things have been very busy lately, to say the least. 

One of my closest friends has recently been diagnosed with MS, and she is really struggling emotionally.  She is one of the few people that knew me well both before and after CFS and was there for me every step of the way, so I am trying to be there for her now.  Last week, I had her two boys (best friends of my own boys) over here most days, and this week, with my kids away for the week, I am trying to spend lots of time with her and support her.

On the plus side, yes, my boys are away for the week - on their annual sailing trip with their grandparents - so I am also trying to enjoy the very rare peace and solitude!  I had hoped (as I do every year - will I ever learn?) to get caught up on all sorts of things this week, but it's not really working out that way.  As you can see, I am still behind!

Anyway, last week was a crazy busy blur filled with lots of teen boys (with big appetites), packing the kids up for their trip, and this weekend, driving them to CT.  Then, Ken surprised me with an overnight getaway on Saturday for my birthday, which was very nice. 

So, there was no time for movies last week, though the kids and I still squeezed in a few episodes of The Mentalist and Bones.  On Sunday night, after Ken left for a trip, I was a total lazy bum and watched movies (chick flicks!) for hours:

• Nine Lives was a Sundance winner, a thoughtful combination of vignettes about nine different women all going through different challenges in their lives.  Each vignette was only about 12-15 minutes, so it was an unusual kind of movie, though the stories did begin to intersect a bit partway through.  I enjoyed it (and Ken wouldn't have!).
• Then for some pure fun fluff, I watched a couple of movies on FX.  The first was 13 Going on 30, a fairly predictable but pleasant story about a 13-year old girl who wishes she could skip her painful adolescence and be 30, and then, of course, her wish comes true and it isn't quite what she thought it would be.  It was cute and fun, and I liked Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo in the lead roles.  I especially enjoyed the 80's scenes when she was 13!
• I really meant to go upstairs and read after that but got sucked into the next FX movie as well!  The Proposal was a typical romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock who I really like.  She played a hard-ass NYC editor (much like Jennifer Garner's character in the previous movie!) whose work visa expires and is in danger of being deported to Canada.  Instead, she orders her executive assistant to marry her so she can stay.  They go to Alaska to meet his family and put on a good show for the INS and...well, I'm sure you can guess the rest.  Again, predictable but pleasant fluff!

Have you seen any good movies lately?

(If you are interested in what we're reading this week, check out the Monday post on my book blog.)