Movie Weekend!

Tweet Here in Oklahoma we get snow. Usually a couple of times a year and it never stays for long. But this year has been a little different. We had a big storm before Christmas and another one this weekend! They sent me home from work early on Thursday and I had been wanting to see a particular movie but I was too scared to rent it. Now I can say - it IS scary. And will freak you out a little. But it cost practically nothing to make and it's good. This is not your typical horror flick. It isn't gory. It is suspensful and creepy. That's the best way I know how to describe it. Watch it during the day. :-)

I also watched the first 5 episodes of the series, Big Love. Starring Bill Paxton, Gennifer Goodwin, Chloe Sevigny, and Jeanne Triplehorn. If you don't recognize the names - you will recognize the actors. It is superbly written and the acting is flawless. I love it. It is on hbo so I don't get it at my non-cable home. But it is worth renting or buying. It takes away a lot of the mystery of fundamentalist mormons who practice polygomy. And it's witty, and realistic.
We also rented Fame and Extract. I have an affection for Fame since I played "Nicole" in a local play when I was in school. A itty bitty 4 line part but it felt like the big time to me. I love the original but I have to say, I am not very fond of the remake. Because of the talented dancers, singers, rappers and piano players - there is hardly a great actor to be found. And the plot is just horrendous. If you HAVE to rent it - fast forward thru all speaking parts and watch only the performances. Extract on the other hand is a great little comedic film by Mike Judge. The same guy that did Office Space and King of the Hill. It is dry and very realistic but exaggerated in a way that makes it really funny. I'm not a huge Ben Affleck fan but I think he becomes this amazing character. And the rest of the cast is stellar - Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis and Kristen Wiig...a few of my favorites. This is a perfect Sunday afternoon renter for sure!
Last but not least - I took the kids to see Fantastic Mr. Fox at the dollar theater. I vaguely remember the trailors for this movie but I was not moved by them. The movie on the other hand - is excellent. It is a kids movie. Rated PG because one of the villians smokes. :-) But Wendy and I definitely laughed the hardest. The sense of humor is mature. And they replace the word "cuss" for cuss words. i.e. I just wanted to cuss with their head so I left a clue. That kind of thing. I thought it was brilliant. And it's stop animation - but you seriously forget very quickly that these characters are not real. I loved it. The kids said they liked "tooth fairy" better - so who am I to say?