New (old) movies I have seen recently:

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – As a native New Yorker and a dad, this one hit very close to home. What a beautiful and yet sad movie.  I admit it – I teared up OFTEN in this one.  The original book was moving but nothing like seeing it visually.  I recommend it to everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

I also just saw What to Expect While Your Expecting – certainly nothing like Extremely Loud…  As a parent with a 2, 5, and 6 year old, it was definitely cute.  The scenes with the dads stole the show for me

 

 

 

 

 

 

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VEEP may be over but HBO is back with its newest show “The Newsroom”.  Aaron Sorkin has done it again.  A must watch for anyone interested in news, politics, etc.  The first 3 episodes have been excellent!

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I have started watching an awesome new series on HBO which I recommend to political junkies, Seinfeld fans, and anyone who just likes good TV.  Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars in the new show VEEP.

Melissa Crawley said it best: HBO’s new comedy “Veep” will probably not inspire you, but it will make you laugh. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is Selina Meyer, the well-meaning vice president who, along with her equally well-meaning but bumbling staff, is trying to navigate the stormy seas of Washington politics without sinking. Selina wants to be an agent of change in perhaps the most ineffectual political office in the American government. It’s a good set-up for laughs, and Louis-Dreyfus puts her talent for physical comedy to good use.   

Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone also gave it a perfect review!

It is Sunday nights at 10.  ENJOY! (or DVR it while watching Mad Men)

TV

Admittedly, I watch a lot of TV. I have three young kids so after 8PM I am pretty much exhausted and need to unwind. My perennial favorites these days are:

And then there’s the comedies and dramas:

NBC’s Up All Night has become a guilty pleasure – it really hits home.

I am also a huge Sunday night HBO guy. If you missed the most recent season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, I strongly urge you to watch it NOW. Truly brilliant. I am also loving Boardwalk Empire and getting into both How To Make It In America and Hung.

And finally, I can’t wait for the next season of Mad Men.

Movies

I will keep the older picks up here for now, but it is time to focus on 2012 (when I hope to see the great 2011 movies on DVD!)

I am a year later than the release but I just saw the incredible French movie/documentary CARLOS about the famed terrorist in the 1970s and 1980s. It was a GREAT movie and Edgar Ramirez was incredible as Carlos. For anyone that is a fan of history, action, international intrigue, spy stories, etc. – this is a MUST see.

I also recently saw Moneyball and on a plane. Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill were excellent and the writers brought the book TO LIFE!  Loved it. Great movie.

My netflix queue is READY for the New Year.

2011

I wish I could report on some great movies… but other than some animation films like Cars 2, I am sad to say I am pretty much exclusively a Netflix movie viewer these says. Some good (older) movies from the past few months:

I like The Lincoln Lawyer (sort of pathetic that I am seeing it six months later but it is what it is). I thought The Perfect Host with David Hyde Pierce was cool.

At The Edge of the World opened my eyes to Japanese whaling practices. Limitless with Bradley Cooper was fun.

I LOVED The Music Never Stopped - a great message about the power of music and the importance of family.

I also really liked the French miniseries Mesrine about the infamous French gangster.

I watched Woody Allen’s A Midnight in Paris on the way to Paris. I can never see too much Woody!

And I finally saw The King’s Speech which was awesome. Way to go Emile!