TV and Movie Talk

Last month, we got rid of cable TV in order to save a little money, so now we watch stuff past its prime via Netflix or Hulu. This is working extremely well (and thanks to my friend Beth for telling me about Roku, too) since we don't mind watching stuff a day or two later (or years later, in some cases.)

There are two situations in my life that make me want to turn to TV:

1. The end of a long day. Dare I say this is many days? Not always, and much more often on the weekends. But, at the end of a long or stressful day I like to curl up next to Atticus and watch something we both really enjoy. Add a glass of red wine. Perfect mix.

2. Working out. I have this thing called a Fitness Flyer (although I always forget its name and refer to it as the "Flexible Flyer" which leads Atticus to tease me about going sledding) which I bought from the Magical Mrs. M. for $15. It's the best $15 I ever spent, though I didn't fully appreciate that until this past Lent, when I added 45-minute workouts to my life. In the past, I couldn't get beyond the 20-30 minute mark on the Flyer without some pain in my back. This Lent, I pushed through the pain and extended the workouts to 45 minutes, many more times per week, and I got beyond the pain-in-the-back. Who knew that actually strengthening those back muscles would do the trick?

Anyway, while I'm working out/sledding, I watch something. Preferably, a show that will make me pine for the next episode, so that I'll be motivated to work out again.

Here's what I am/we are watching these days:

TV:
Awake 
Atticus and I watch this one together. I'm a Jason Isaacs fan, so it had me at " ... starring Jason Isaacs"  but I love the premise and so far love the execution. The last two episodes slowed down a bit for me, though, and I'm not sure they can sustain what they've started, but I'm enjoying watching it unfold.

Once Upon a Time
Anne-with-an-e, Betsy, me. Anne and I were late to this one, though.  To catch up with Betsy, I watched an episode a day, during workouts. I loved what Haley said the other day about it. I agree with her, but mostly come out on the awesome side and have a lot of fun with it.

Friday Night Lights
Atticus and me. (Why, yes, we are always late to every party ... how did you know? I'm years behind on Lost, too, but more about that in a minute.) The football! (That is not a cheerleading kind of exclamation point.) The obsessions! The bad choices! More bad choices! Pathos, pathos everywhere, and not a clear head in sight!

After the first few episodes, I turned to Atticus and said, "I can't decide if I like it or if it makes me want to kill myself."

We watched the entire first season, but I may be done with it. It's just so exhausting to watch that many people wreck their lives. Still, I kinda want to find out what happens with Landry ...


Lost
Watched by me, during workouts and by Anne and Betsy whenever they can get their hands on a laptop computer. Couldn't get Atticus to watch it with me when it was on, and I still can't get him interested. I'm hooked. Anne and Betsy are almost a whole season ahead of me.

So don't tell me anything. Even though I kinda know where it's going because I read too many blogs and have too many friends who watched it for six years.


Movies:

Atticus and I have recently watched:

The Trip:  Funny (especially the dueling Michael Caine voices), touching, thoughtful ... surprised me.

Midnight in Paris: Roger Ebert said, "This film is sort of a daydream for American lit majors." I couldn't have said it better. Perfect date night movie for Atticus and me. How often can you say, "Hemingway had me laughing out loud!" I loved this movie. Pass the popcorn.

Bright Star: Atticus and I watched this several months ago, and Anne and Betsy watched it very recently. John Keats, the love of his life, pining, death ... A different kind of perfect date night movie. Lovely. Jane Campion makes everything waft as in a celestial dream.

To Serve Them All My Days
This was one of the first shows Atticus and I ever watched together, back when we were dating oh-so-many years ago. A few months back, we watched it again and though it's now rather dated, it's really lovely, and funny and poignant and I loved it as much as I did the first time around.

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Finally, I have to mention that Anne and Betsy recently watched Tootsie. Now they know why Atticus and I have said the following things for years (things which previously baffled them):

"Quick, quick, like little bunnies!"

"You were a tomato! A tomato doesn't have logic! It can't move!"

"You've got a Howard Johnson's thing going."

"It is for the money, isn't it? It's not so you can wear these little outfits?"

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Disclaimer: Some of the above have varying levels of language and violence that might be offensive to some, so be sure to check them out for yourself before deciding what's appropriate for you, your kids, etc.