2011 in Movies

The Wehrenberg 100th Anniversary logo (2006).
Image via Wikipedia

The last post of the year, I promise.  Three in a day, really?  🙂

I am a bit of a movie fiend, as most people know.  So it was fun to sit down and look back on my moving viewing in 2011.  I’m a Netflix subscriber, even through their troubles.  I even upped my subscription, going to two DVDs at a time plus streaming!  I cancelled my cable (and don’t even miss it) so my streaming and DVD watching has drastically increased.  I stream a lot of TV shows – watching old episodes of Cheers and thirtysomething or finding British TV shows that I’ve never heard of, or even American shows I’ve never heard of (What About Brian? – heard of it?).

I also took advantage of the “theatre near me” and their Rush Hour Pricing – all shows between 4-6PM are $5 (or $5.50 now) and they have free popcorn on Wednesdays for Wehrenberg card holders (and of course I am!).  So I have gone to the theatre a lot on Wednesdays.

Going to the theatre hasn’t lost any of its appeal.  I remember a long time ago going to the first movie in a theatre in a long time and wondering why I didn’t do it more often!  I believe the movie was “City of Angels,” and it just is a magical experience to see a movie in the theatre.  I try to prioritize my theatre-going and keep up with what’s new and coming soon through podcasts and IMDB gazing.

In 2011 I watched more than 110 movies, probably more than 120.  30 were seen in the movie theatre and the rest from Netflix, streaming, or the library.  I watched 16 TV series either partially or in their entirety (mostly in their entirety).  During my Ferragosto vacation in August I watched 7 movies – 4 in Italian.  I find that without cable I often will turn on a streaming movie or rewatch a movie that I own while I am doing other things.  It feels more purposeful than having a random TV channel on!

Below is the movies I saw in the theatre in 2011.  I know there were some clunkers, but I always enjoy the theatre-going experience, whether it be alone, with kiddos, or with good friends and family, so I have nothing but positive feelings about all of the movies below.

Here’s to more movie magic in 2012!

The King’s Speech
Take Me Home Tonight!
Cedar Rapids
Something Borrowed
Bridesmaids
Midnight in Paris
Company
Cars 2
Bad Teacher
Larry Crowne
Horrible Bosses
The Help
The Guard
Puss in Boots
Harry Potter
Crazy, Stupid Love
Smurfs
Sarah’s Key
Our Idiot Brother
The Lion King 3D
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Footloose
50/50
The Muppets
Hugo
New Year’s Eve
The Descendents
Young Adult
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher)
My Week with Marilyn

 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year

Well, December was a very slow blogging month, to be sure.  And I’m not really sure what 2012 will bring, on the blogging front or in life!

2011 was an interesting year on many fronts and I’m looking forward to 2012 and the adventures and excitement that it will bring.

I hope that 2012 brings you happiness and love and all the books you can read!

The Last Book Blast from 2011

The Uncoupling

The Uncoupling

I liked this book enough, but it wasn’t great. I’ve read another Meg Wolitzer book and have another on my TBR shelf. She picks interesting topics. This one is about a high school production of a Greek comedy about a sex strike that women start to try to bring about the end of a war and the “spell” that it casts on the community that it is being performed in.
The Book Thief

The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak (Goodreads Author)
Finally finished this – we discussed it at book club last Tuesday. What an amazing book. I underestimated its heft, both in the number of pages and in the content. I loved the writing style of Zusak and am hearing great things about his next book so it will be added to my TBR list!

Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put on My Pajamas, and Found Happiness

Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put on My Pajamas, and Found Happiness

by Dominique Browning (Goodreads Author)
I honestly skimmed this book. I read the beginning but didn’t connect at all with the author so then I just skimmed through before returning it to the library. It may be helpful to some, but I didn’t find any great insight in there. 🙂

I Feel Bad About My Neck: and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman

I Feel Bad About My Neck: and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook, with Nora Ephron narrating her own writings. Until the end. Yikes. Then I was just depressed, thinking about getting older and the “d” word that eventually happens to family and friends. Not that it’s a surprise, but it just was a depressing chapter to end on.
The Paris Wife
View a preview of this book onlineThe Paris Wife
by Paula McLain (Goodreads Author)
I really liked this book about Ernest Hemingway and his first wife – The Paris Wife.  The author captured Hadley’s voice so brilliantly and you can really feel their love for each other.  I want to know more about this era and the “characters” that inhabited Paris during this time.  I cannot wait to meet the author at the Rochester Public Library next Sunday!
Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina

by Leo TolstoyRichard Pevear (Translator)Larissa Volokhonsky(Translator)
I’m thankful for the readalong that was organized by Wallace, as I don’t think I would have tackled or finished this book without the deadlines and the discussion along the way! Everyone added such intelligence and insight to the book and it made it more interesting and enjoyable! 

I knew very little of the book so I encountered many spoilers along the way. It is what it is but I wonder if I would have enjoyed more without the spoilers? 

I look forward to watching some movie versions of this classic!
Well I’ve been a bad blogger in December.  It’s been a good year and a good month of reading, so I’ll simply recap the rest of the books that I haven’t blogged about, using goodreads reviews.
Check out my new page above listing all the books I read in 2011!  It’s fun to see them all in list format.  Fun for me, anyway!   They’re also attached at the end of this post.  Happy 2012!
1 Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy (12/30/11)
2 The Paris Wife Paula McLain (12/27/11)
3 I Feel Bad About my Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman** Nora Ephraon (12/13/11)
4 Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put on My Pajamas, and Found Happiness Dominique Browning (12/12/11)
5 The Book Thief* Markus Zusak (12/11/11)
6 The Uncoupling Meg Wolitzer (12/6/11)
7 What a Woman Must Do Faith Sullivan (11/16/11)
8 Bossypants** Tina Fey (11/12/11)
9 Gift from the Sea Anne Morrow Lindbergh (11/10/11)
10 A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life Donald Miller (11/10/11)
11 The Wisdom of My Grandmothers Adriana Trigiani (11/2011)
12 Vaclav and Lena: A Novel ** Haley Tanner (11/2011)
13 A Vintage Affair: A Novel Isabel Wolff (10/22/11)
14 Then Came You Jennifer Weiner (10/17/11)
15 My Life in France** Julia Child (10/13/11)
16 Loving Frank * Nancy Horan (10/11/11)
17 Ella Minnow Pea Mark Dunn (10/4/11)
18 Summer and the City (The Carrie Diaries #2) Candace Bushnell (9/29/11)
19 Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People ** Amy Sedaris (9/28/11)
20 Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes Elizabeth Bard (9/22/11)
21 The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake ** Aimee Bender (9/20/11)
22 Attachments Rainbow Rowell (9/7/11)
23 The Lover’s Dictionary David Levithan (9/7/11)
24 Rich Again Anna Maxted (9/3/11)
25 The Invention of Hugo Cabret ** Brian Selznick (8/29/11)
26 The Piano Teacher Janice Y.K. Lee (8/28/11)
27 Anybody Out There? (Walsh Family #4) ** Marian Keyes (8/24/11)
28 The Happiness Project Gretchen Rubin (8/17/11)
29 Wedding Season Katie Fforde (8/16/11)
30 Wild Designs Katie Fforde (8/14/11)
31 The Housekeeper and the Professor Yoko Ogawa (8/7/11)
32 The Art of French Kissing Kristin Harmel (8/4/11)
33 Love Letters Katie Fforde (7/31/11)
34 The Girl Who Fell From the Sky Heidi W. Durrow (7/30/11)
35 House Rules Jodi Picoult (7/27/11)
36 Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Lisa See (7/23/11)
37 A Visit from the Good Squad ** Jennifer Egan (7/19/11)
38 The Girl in the Garden Kamala Nair (7/16/11)
39 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (#7) ** J.K. Rowling (7/12/11)
40 Olive Kitteridge * Elizbeth Strout (7/9/11)
41 Second Thyme Around Katie Fforde (7/2011)
42 Highland Fling Katie Fforde (6/28/11)
43 Stately Pursuits Katie Fforde (6/23/11)
44 Minding Frankie Maeve Binchy (6/16/11)
45 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (#6) ** J.K. Rowling 6/16/2011
46 The Carrie Diaries(#1) Candace Bushnell (6/11/11)
47 Sweet Revenge (A Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery, #14) ** Diane Mott Davidson (6/9/11)
48 Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Jamie Ford (5/31/11)
49 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoneix (#5) ** J.K. Rowling (5/25/11)
50 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (#4) ** J.K. Rowling (5/4/11)
51 Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand ** Helen Simonson (5/2/11)
52 The Hundred-Foot Journey: A Novel Richard Morais (4/19/11)
53 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (#3) ** J.K. Rowling (4/13/11)
54 Saving CeeCee Honeycutt * Beth Hoffman (4/9/11)
55 Heart and Soul Maeve Binchy (4/2/11)
56 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (#2) ** J.K. Rowling (4/2011)
57 Jane Eyre ** Charlotte Bronte (3/24/11)
58 Mockingbird Kathryn Erskine (3/24/11)
59 Juliet, Naked Nick Hornby (3/20/11)
60 Plain Truth * Jodi Picoult (3/9/11)
61 Traveling With Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story ** Sue Monk Kidd (3/4/11)
62 One Day David Nicholls (2/27/11)
63 Brava, Valentine: A Novel ** Adriana Trigiani (2/22/11)
64 Faking It (Dempsey’s #2) Jennifer Crusie (2/15/11)
65 Every Last One ** Anna Quindlen (2/9/11)
66 The Summer We Read Gatsby: A Novel Danielle Ganek (2/6/11)
67 The Position Meg Wolitzer (2/2/11)
68 The Magicians ** Lev Grossman (1/29/11)
69 The Virgin of Small Plains Nancy Pickard (1/16/11)
70 Her Fearful Symmetry ** Audrey Niffenegger (1/13/11)
71 Sarah’s Key Tatiana de Rosnay (1/8/11)

December Things

I’ve had this page up a few times in the month of November but have remained quiet!  Partly because my reading has slowed, due to the Thanksgiving holiday and other things.  And partly because I didn’t want to post for the sake of posting!  Finally, I have something to say. 🙂

new tree, glittery baubles

I love firsts – first of the month, first of the year, first time doing anything.  So a few days ago (the first of December) I started a list in my head (I also love lists) of things to get done in December.  Fun things.  I was going to do it like an Advent calendar, one thing assigned to each day, but decided to just make a list and see how many I can knock off.

  1. Bake bake bake!
  2. Try new recipes (Whiskey caramels? Yes please!)
  3. Bake with kiddos
  4. Drive around and look at Christmas lights while drinking hot cocoa
  5. Have a hot cocoa and cookie party
  6. Read the Christmas story in the Bible
  7. Hear the Christmas story being read
  8. Read “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”
  9. Watch “Elf”
  10. Watch “The Holiday”
  11. Watch “Love Actually” (again)
  12.  Buy some mistletoe
  13. Get a New Year’s Eve plan (before New Year’s Eve rolls around)
  14. Plan get-togethers with friends during Christmas break
  15. Sing as many carols as possible – find (or create!) singalongs
  16. Make more lefse
  17. Listen to LOTS of Christmas music!
  18. Play LOTS of Christmas music at the piano
  19. Find a tree topper – an angel or star
  20. …. I’m going to continue to add to this list as I think of more things.

Maybe you can help!  Any holiday traditions that you have that are “must-do”s?

Off to read!