Watching More Movies

I have several friends who are counting the movies they watch this year, and they tweet updates to their total almost every day.  My measly one or two movies a week look pitiful next to their already extensive lists, but I just don't want to make movie-watching a bigger priority than I already have.  I like relaxing at home after work; reading a magazine or poking around on Facebook or reading blogs or working on something crafty or hearing about Greg's day.  Unfortunately I also need to save some time for straightening up, doing dishes, cleaning up Sydney's kitty puke hairballs, etc.  I used to go for a month or more without seeing a single movie, so seeing one or two a week is a giant improvement.  Yay me!

1/29 = Bourne Identity (Netflix blu-ray disc)

I love spy thriller movies, I love Matt Damon, and I thoroughly enjoyed this.

2/5 = Bourne Supremacy (Netflix blu-ray disc)

Number two in the Bourne trilogy.  I didn't think this sequel was quite as good as the first, but I have some momentum built up now, so I'll watch the third one soon (it's next up in our Netflix queue) 

2/12 = Social Network (Netflix blu-ray disc)

Fascinating story and intelligent movie, it was funnier than I expected.  I thought that Trent Reznor's score really added a lot of edge and gave the whole movie a slightly darker tone.     

2/13 = Fanboys (HD cable)

Tremendously fun movie about Star Wars geeks on a road trip.  I love a well-placed cameo appearance, and this movie is packed with them, by everyone from Carrie Fisher to Kevin Smith.  Lots of little jokes and references that a geek, particularly a Star Wars geek, would love.  (I did.)

2/18 = The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia (HD cable)

I am from the southwestern area of Virginia, the Appalachian mountains, very close to West Virginia.  This documentary is about the White family in Boone, WV, which is approximately 100 miles away from where I grew up.  Non-southern people lump all southern accents into a big buttery pile, but a real southerner knows that a Georgia accent is as far from an Alabama accent as collard greens are from fine dining.  These people, oh my, had real accents, and the exact same kind that I heard growing up.  The one that really got to me was someone saying "egg" and pronouning it "aig".  I still remember as a wee child being confused about who the "Aidie" person could have been, until one day I heard someone else said it with a bit less of an accent and I realized it was "Eddie".  Law, law.   At any rate, this is an incredibly well-made movie, and a fascinating story.  This is the movie to show the person who thinks documentaries are boring.  At one point Greg and I were laughing so hard we had to pause the DVR, and at another point I was getting teary.  It's very REAL.

2/19 = Winter's Bone (Netflix blu-ray disc)

As spare as a poem, beautiful and haunting.  Greg said it's very faithful to the book.  It deserves every one of the Oscar nominations it got, and I hope it wins repeatedly.  Days later I can't stop thinking about it.

I am actually looking forward to the Oscars this weekend, since I have seen several of the nominations for Best Picture.  Go, Winter's Bone!