Scanning through my Netflix queue, I realized that out of the 70 or so movies listed I wasn't too interested in any of them. That's not exactly true. There are movies I want to see but some are movies I "should" see (El Bola, Deliver us from Evil, Factotum, Helvetica, Born into Brothels), many are movies I want to see with my kids so can only line up so often, several are movies I want to see but would be a disaster with the wife, some are movies I put on my list and can't remember a damn thing about, and hardly any are from 08. Contemplating the sad state of my queue, especially the lack of 08s, I realized that I hadn't looked at one of my favorite movie reviewers, Hightoughmegastore, for some time--somehow this bi-annual event had slipped through the cracks.
Now, I don't add just anything from her list she's, to put it lightly, easy: she can find something good in about every movie she sees (btw I just used Mega as an example in my ch lit class to demonstrate that one can be smart, critical, and use criticism and still love all sorts of art). Which is one thing I like about her little reviews but which also causes me to only pick movies she really liked. Here's what made it into my queue: Smart People, Married life, Baby mama (I didn't really need Mega to get this one on my list), The Band's Visit, The Savages, Flawless, Honeydripper. More would have surely made my list, but Mega is sorely behind at least 20 movies. How dare she only list them without a review! Come on Mega, get choppin!
I was hoping one or more of these movies would be on the Watch Instantly Netflix feature so we could watch one tonight and sure enough two were (Flawless and Honeydripper) but neither seemed quite right for the wife--she's not much of a capper lover and Honeydripper looked too slow. Instead I found Outsourced (2007) on the watch now list (btw the online Netflix movies are getting better and better). So here in a few I'm off to hook up the laptop to the tv to watch a film with the wife, alone. Amazingly, the kids have all disappeared with friends. Well, two of them at least.
Before I end on a somber note, I'd love to hear about everyone's top three moview of 2008...ok onto serious, stewing over stuff I'm known for.
The third, my eldest son, was with a friend and was to come home when said friend went to the LDS priesthood session but then the friend invited him along to the all-male-afair with an offer of Garcia's mexican cuisine after. I picked him up from the friend, helped him get a snack, and then took him back. It was harder than I expected, a twinge of sadness that his father wouldn't be the one to induct him into this Mormon father-son ritual and a pang of fear about the future. Oh, well at least I found a movie I can watch with my wife--one can't be a miracle worker on every front.
10 comments:
You are brave to have left the world of Mormon "musts." Don't worry; it gets easier over time, and not because you have "strayed," but because your soul recognizes the path of freedom that is (and always was) rightfully yours.
I feel you on the last thing. Shan't say more.
You should definitely add The Visitor to the list--it's lovely, and your wife would certainly like it, I think. My mom and dad liked it. It is wonderful.
Man on Wire, Encounters at the End of the World, The Edge of Heaven, The Fall, Honeydripper, The Band's Visit, The Dark Knight, WALL-E.
I'm not a minimalist. 3 is too few movies.
Also, and in defense of my so-called easiness, I have a lot of reasons to see movies, and I usually try to pick ones I think I will enjoy in some way or another. And sometimes the occasion makes something about the movie more compelling, like seeing certain movies with one or another of my kids, or with the historian, or alone in the middle of the day, or whatever.
Next door neighbor here; I have nothing to say on this semi-public forum about your closing subject -- it would only raise the ire of the NRBHLs that get off on persecuting those of us with a few deity beliefs; what's understood doesn't need to be discussed.
This year's top 3 movies for me are Juno, Iron Man, and theBale/Ledger Batman. I had no real interest in seeing any of them, but the chance to actually do something with my wife was too hard to pass up. Talk about pleasant suprises. Juno reminded me of my 15 year old (not pregnant) in here personallity this past 18 months or so. Three real nice films. On the other end of the spectrum, we went and saw Adam Sandler's Don't Mess with the Zohan and stayed for about 30 minutes (20 minutes longer than we should have) before walking out.
e.s. thanks that gives me some comfort and hope
Mega: I added the other movies you mentioned and I started watching the Honeydripper yesterday while doing my core exercises--i love danny glover; loved Dark Knight and Wall-E; and yes context counts--many a movie I wouldn't have liked but enjoyed bec I was watching it with the kids or my wife.
anonymous steve: I saw all three of these films in the theatre--probably the only films I saw in the theatre this year. Loved loved Juno. We've seen it twice. Now we are watching "Arrested development" which stars both Jason Bateman and Michael cera who were also in Juno.
Sorry but I'm struggling with the persecution claim--come on this is utah and the US! It seems to me that many religious people feel like they are being persecuted when others are merely disagreeing with them. p.s. although I'm sure I should, I have no idea what an NRBLS is.
I really liked "Smart People" but I loved, loved!, "Wristcutters." Not as dark as it sounds. Great.
What else...ditto on "Wall-E" and also "Kung Fu Panda." But...I don't get to see enough movies. I don't! So I don't have lots of 08 advice. We finally got "Casino Royale" which is from, what?, 06? That's us.
I just read _Open Curtain_ btw (by Brian Evenson) and if you want a scathing novel about Mormonism....not as harsh as his other one (lambs of God? or something) but pretty darn dark. And violent. But strangely riveting.
Brian Evenson was a professor of mine at BYU; in fact I have a signed copy of *Altman's Tongue* (short stories) but haven't read anything of his since. In part because, while I found the writing in Altman's beautiful and intense, some of the stories were too much for me--too violent, too sadistic, too angry. Maybe I should try something of his again.
Maybe the context is to blame, but I can't think of a single movie I've seen this year that I would recommend. Last week I saw "Frozen River". The acting was great, even if the movie wasn't (it was okay, though).
Next week is the International Film festival here in Denver, so I'm hoping to have some recommendations soon. After all, it's the fall season and the good movies, or the good ones made for adults, are just now starting to come out.
I haven't seen Juno, but I love the Arrested Development cast. Wish that series had never ended.
You need to move Helvetica out of your "should" list to your "must, with joy and anticipation" list. It is amazing, and probably in my top three for the year. It is funny and engaging and way more thrilling than a movie about a typeface should be. It's really so, so good.
I was curious if anyone had seen the movie "Forever Strong" --- a guy at work said he liked it, but we were interrupted and so I didn't get any more info.
As far as books, as I told Ron,
I just finished "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini (Kite Runner) and had a hard time putting the book down. By no means an uplifting book, but a good read all the same. Reading those two books back to back in consecutive weeks was nearly depressing.
have not seen forever strong; agreed only one Hosseinni novel a year.
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