Movie Binge

Bob and I have been attempting to go to the movies for about a month, and this Friday and Saturday we made up for lost time.

On Friday, we saw Lone Survivor and American Hustle; both based on actual events.  As a bookseller, I've sold tons of Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell.  Most to the customers who requested it were military, of the Special Forces bent.  Our closest military base is Camp Pendleton and it was recommended reading for the Marines.  This was not a fun movie, it's a war movie, it was factual and intense, dealing with a reconnaissance mission in Afghanistan.  Four Navy Seals go in, and only one comes home.  The graphic images of the battle for survival and the toughness of the men are outstanding.  Of the four movies we saw this is Bob's favorite.

If you're old, like me, you may remember the Abscam scandal that rocked Washington.  American Hustle, is about this scandal and how the FBI managed a sting that netted several corrupt US Representatives and one US Senator.  The movie, was well done, it captured 1978 and '79, very well.  Oh the hair, oh the clothes, oh the shady characters!   It showed how the actual sting came about and how it was executed.  The cast was great, and so retro; plus the music was great.  I liked this movie.

On Saturday, we saw Nebraska and August: Osage County.  Wow, is all I can say.  Nebraska is both a comedy and a drama.  The main character, Woody, is elderly and has some form of dementia most likely caused by alcohol.  He lives in Montana and believes he's won a million-dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize.  He just needs to get to Nebraska, to claim his prize. And so begins a father and son road trip, from Billings, Montana to Lincoln, Nebraska.  They get waylaid at the small town in central Nebraska, where Woody grew up and has scores to settle. Told with deadpan humor and shot in black and white film, it's ultimately the story of a son trying to understand his father.  This was my favorite of the four we saw.  I thought the cast was outstanding.

August:  Osage County also has an outstanding cast.  This is an intense family drama based on the play by the same name.  When we left the theater, Bob and I were blown away at the absolutely horrible matriarchs, Violet and Mattie Fae, portrayed in this film.  We thanked our stars that we'd be raised by our own bad mothers.  Really.  I've been to Oklahoma, but after seeing the disfunction in this film, I might not go again, not really.  I do recommend this film.  I loved the story and the cast.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing my life with me,