Movie Monday 9/17

A day late (again) - my schedule has gotten very busy now that soccer season has begun for my son. I normally set aside afternoons (after my nap) for blogging activities, but now we are running to soccer games two days a week (picking up from practice the other days) then having a late dinner...and last week, we also had Parents' Night at the school! The good news is that I was able to go for the first time in years, and my husband didn't have to go alone. In fact, I need to leave to pick up my son in a few minutes...sigh...

Anyway, we had a very busy weekend with houseguests (my dad and his wife were visiting), but it was fun, and we did watch one movie on Saturday night when my son slept over at a friend's house:

We watched The Place Beyond the Pines, starring Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, and Bradley Cooper. Gosling plays Luke, a stunt motorcycle driver who travels with a carnival. When Luke returns to Schenectady and learns he has a one-year old son, he decides to leave the drifting, wild life behind and settle down. His new commitment to being an upstanding citizen doesn't last long, though, as a new friend in town convinces him to rob banks with him so that Luke can afford to support his son. Bradley Cooper plays a rookie police officer who chases after Luke during a robbery attempt. The two men's meeting not only has a dramatic effect on their own lives, but their intersection goes on to affect the next generation. I tried to choose a movie that would appeal to our disparate group that night, since it combines suspense and drama. I guess there wasn't enough action to keep my dad's attention because he ended up reading his Kindle (maybe he gave up before the bank robbery scenes!). My step mom liked it, though she didn't understand why there was so much profanity. Not sure what it means that I didn't notice that! I really liked this movie. It's a bit of a downer - sins of the father visiting on the sons, etc. - but I liked the ways that the characters' lives intersected and the domino effects down the road. It's a somewhat thoughtful yet suspenseful movie. Only problem is that none of us understood where the film's title came from! (Aha! Wikipedia says the name is the loose meaning of the name Schenectady, derived from a Mohawk word.)

Have you seen any good movies lately?

Time for the new fall TV season premiers this week! Which shows are you eager to return to or try out?