FAMILY VIEWING:
* Big Fish (Movie) - One of my favorite family movie nights ever. In case you're not familiar with this cinematic masterpiece, Big Fish is about the estrangement between a tall-tale telling father and a truth seeking son. Tim Burton directed the film, so that alone lets you know it is over the top creative/bizarre. (Spoiler alert - this is a sad movie with some adult "themes", but no sex or violence, making it a great movie to watch with kids.)
* The Bad News Bears (Old school 1970s movie) - Friends warned us that this classic is not exactly kid-appropriate by modern day definitions. Luckily, we chose to ignore them. The drunk coach gives all the children beers to celebrate the end of the season. Seven year olds swear like truck drivers. A young Tatum O'Neal announces to the coach "I know an 11-year-old girl who is already on the pill." On the upside, almost all of this (minus the beer) went over my children's heads. Plus, the league's best pitcher is a girl (girls rock!) and the movie ends with the upbeat message of teamwork over victory.
* Love it or List It (TV show) - HGTV has made its way to Netflix. Yay!!!
* Parks and Recreation (TV show) - One night the kids couldn't sleep and they walked in on me watching this show, within minutes they couldn't stop laughing. All three kids find Andy hysterical (who doesn't?). They admire Leslie Knope (while still laughing at her). And, for better or worse, Knope is one of the best female role models on tv these days (she gets sh** done). Most of the inappropriate jokes go over their heads. Maybe I'm a bad parent, but our whole family now loves Parks and Recreation. (FYI - The first season is a little slow, and Season 2 has some iffy material, so I recommend starting with season 3).
KID-ONLY VIEWING:
* Robin Hood (the Disney cartoon movie you might remember from your own childhood) - T has loved this for years. And now thanks to our ipad and Netflix he can watch it over and over. And I can't stop singing the theme song. Remember? "Robin Hood and Little John walking through the forest . . ."
* Jessie, season 5 (TV show) - Now available. Complete with Michelle Obama guest appearance.
* Chima (TV show) - I have no idea what this Lego show is about, but T finds it "awesome".
* My Babysitter's a Vampire (TV show) - Dumbest. TV Show. Ever. The girls love it.
ADULT-ONLY VIEWING:
* The One I Love (movie) - Have you seen this movie? I don't even know how to explain it. A dysfunctional married couple goes away for the weekend and things get weird. That's about all I can say without spoiling anything. It is an odd movie. Yet fascinating. And somewhat funny. You should watch it. Really, watch it. Like now.
* Ken Burn's the Civil War (Mini series) - Sometimes Dan makes the kids watch this with him. They ask if they can do chores instead.
* Friends (yes, the WHOLE series is now available for streaming) - Nostalgia. Very serious nostalgia.
* Broadchurch (Mini series) - A BBC series about a missing boy. Like all of the "missing child/girl" series produced lately, this starts off incredibly sad. And then you find yourself wrapped in the mystery and binge-watching until 2 am.
* Ida (2015 Academy Award nominee for best foreign film) - I found this film slow. And sad. Nobody in the film talks much, which, as a talker, I find odd; silence confuses me. Worth watching for the cinematography alone; every shot is incredible.
* Snowpiercer (2015 Academy Award Snub) - You either like this movie or you don't. Dan really liked it. I really did not. It involves all that's left of humanity living on a train speeding through a snow covered earth. If that plot sounds interesting to you, then watch it.
* Who Is Dayani Cristal? (Documentary) - Documentary about an illegal immigrant found dead in the desert and the search to identify him. It also "stars" Gael García Bernal, always a plus. Prepare to cry.
* How to Marry a Millionaire (1953 Marilyn Monroe movie) - This movie was so much funnier than I expected it to be.
* The Immigrant (2015 Academy award front runner that the studio decided not to promote) - An immigrant forced into prostitution. Joaquin Phoenix is excellent as her pimp/obsessed admirer.
**** Disclaimer - I am part of Netflix's "stream team" and thus received an Ipad mini and a Netflix subscription for posting about their movies. The content of the post, however, is entirely mine.
Parks and Rec is next on my list, after we finish Breaking Bad and Orange is the New Black. Thanks for the tips. :)
ReplyDeleteI love that show, the first season is slow, but once it gets going you sort of fall in love with the whole cast.
ReplyDeleteHave you watched "Death Comes to Pemberley" yet? So good! As is "The Bletcheley Circle." Thanks for the tips -- I hated "Snowpiercer" but I want to watch "Parks and Rec" someday.
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