Let's All Go the Movies!

This past weekend was my first weekend home with no shows.  Brian took the kids up to see his parents and I had the weekend to myself.  Now, if you read my last post, you'll know that I'm wondering, contemplating, thinking about full-time work and what that would look like.  My voice teacher last week sat down and talked to me about my career and life goals and told me I needed to buy the book What Color is Your Parachute and do the exercises.  She actually gave me career-seeking homework.

So I went out, bought the book, leafed through it and promptly forgot about it.  And, I did what any 40-something who is filled with apprehension about the future would do:  I went to the movies.  Not just once, mind you.  4 movies  in 2 days.  It was a great weekend.

Okay, 2 of the movies I watched at home but still, it was a great weekend.

Friday night, I went to dinner with girlfriends and then we had drinks after so when I woke up Saturday, I was feeling a little ugh.  Then I realized I didn't actually have to get up if I didn't want to so I flipped on the TV and Down with Love was just starting.  That's the 2003 movie with Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellweger that's a take-off on the Rock Hudson and Doris Day sex comedies of the 1960s.  It's so great and funny.  You can watch it over breakfast, over lunch, over martinis, anytime.  It's light and zany and just a real romp. Of course if you prefer angst-ridden indie films, this might not be the film for you.

Saturday afternoon I went to see Moneyball with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill about the Oakland A's General Manager who put together a winning team on a very small budget based purely on statistics.  Interesting side note:  The Oakland A's used to be the Philadelphia Athletics back when Philadelphia had both an American League and a National League team.  And that's all I say about the Philadelphia teams in light of the Phillies disappointing loss last Friday.  Back to the movie:  It's fine, a good film.  Interesting.  If you see it, it's entertaining.  If you miss you, you haven't missed much. Brad Pitt is enjoyable and so is Jonah Hill.  The screenplay is by Aaron Sorkin so it's fun.

Saturday night after a beer with a friend (I just don't want you to think I was completely anti-social all weekend), I watched Cedar Rapids.   Ed Helms plays an insurance agent who has to represent his company at an annual convention in Cedar Rapids, IA.  He meets John C. Reilly, Anne Heche and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. who help him navigate the conference.  I really liked this movie.  Ed Helms is naive but not so much that he's pathetic.  I hate those movies where the protagonist is so pathetic it hurts to watch.  Mr. Apatow are you listening?  I watched Bridesmaids a few weeks ago which critics hailed as a woman's version of an Apatow film.  I found Kristen Wiig's character to pathetic to watch.  Cedar Rapids, good flick, endearing.  Entertaining.  Great for an easy movie night.  Again, not really if you like angsty films.

Sunday, after grocery shopping and working out, I made it to Drive before the family returned.  This is the Ryan Gosling picture where he plays a stunt driver and part-time get-away driver who gets mixed up with the wrong criminals.  This may be the film for you if you like angst films.  It's dark.  Not a lot of dialogue.  Bryan Cranston is great in it and Albert Brooks holds his own.  Oddly, when you first see it, the production values almost resemble a 1980's teenage comedy but it's certainly not that.  I'm still intrigued by it.  If you love films, and you want something different then this is a film for you.  But be warned, the violence is on a level that would make Quentin Tarantino proud.  It might even make him jealous.

Not a bad weekend, huh?  Some people have retail therapy when they are down, I've got cinema therapy.  And it works.