Take My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Fire the writers. Take away the newness of Greek culture in the movies. Exchange a wedding for a tour bus. Keep the cliche Greek soundtrack. Now you’ve got My Life In Ruins. Whitney’s lost movie-picking privileges for a little bit.

Up In The Air was the “In Theater” selection for RednoW’s list of 60 movies for February. I wasn’t quite done with January, but it was a date night after a long week of working on the house. I took off work all week with the hopes of moving in when I requested the time off a month ago. It didn’t happen. We’re still a little ways off, and ever so thankful for patient parents whom we live with and parents who help with painting and electric!

Anyway, this movie, advertised as witty, was exactly that. Anna Kendrick got an Oscar nomination for her role, and I think it was well deserved. Everyone was hilarious, but she made the movie for me.

This semi-documentary was very enjoyable. Whitney and I did fall asleep, but we went back and finished it. Even though the story part isn’t so much real life, the couple plays themselves and it was fun to see Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera’s interaction. I’m sure Charlyne isn’t as pessimistic as she made herself out to be, but the rest seemed like they were just hanging out with video cameras. I would recommend Paper Heart to anyone who has made it through other documentaries.

I had seen The Prestige before, but I really wanted to see it again when it showed up as January’s “Emerging Canon” on RednoW’s list of 60 movies. It came out at about the same time as The Illusionist, which was funny because magicians doesn’t seem like a common movie topic. And more than a few people had told me they had seen both and that The Illusionist was better. So after I suffered through that movie I skipped The Prestige until at least a year after release. It is so much better. You get to at least figure out what is going on. The story is very involved, and I love the representation of pursuing something with complete reckless abandon and passion.

If you haven’t heard of The Invention of Lying, you’re better off. It’s an entertaining enough preview and there’s enough concept to have made an interesting short. But overall it was just a movie where Ricky Gervais got to make himself do whatever he wanted, and I didn’t really need to see that. Written by, Produced by, and Starring Ricky Gervais!

I’m a little lost. I won’t be running out for white or red anytime soon… unless it’s on the list next month, of course! Although, while I thought they were related a little more resolution would have been nice. Good company, though. Thanks Finley, Erica & Taido!

Delicious family fun. Wilson hid behind the couch and then cried at the end. Then we all hugged and rejoiced at the ending and, of course, danced through the credits!

Avatar was one of the 5 to see on the list by RednoW. It was this months “in theater” selection. It was beautiful. At one point, when the view was from very high, I got a little queasy. I went with my wife and my mother. I thought to myself, “the roller coaster thing at the beginning of movies makes mom sick. How is she standing this?” Then I look over to see she has taken off her 3D glasses. I ask if she’s okay. She says no and leaves for the remaining hour and half of the movie. Nice. The rest of the movie (yes I stayed. how evil am I?… she had a book!) was slightly tainted. It was amazing views and graphics. The story was endurable for such a view.

Fame was better than I ever expected it to be. My expectations were dang low. Did you see the first one? Not a movie worthy of remake. Some good music. Some good scenes. Great adult cast. No story. Par for the course for a dance flick.