There’s nothing like a good movie to provide entertainment and a way to spend a relaxing evening. Actually, the time of day doesn’t really matter; in fact, I often enjoy watching movies on a Saturday morning or a Sunday afternoon. (I seem to be able to get through a whole film at those times without falling asleep!) When you call to mind the best movies you’ve ever seen, what are they? Are they all the same genre or different styles? Do you have a favorite actor or actress, so that if he or she does a new movie, you’re the first in line to see it on the big screen or rent the dvd?
My kids and I love to have picnic style suppers while we watch movies. Once, when the new True Grit had just arrived on dvd, we moved our table into the TV room. We covered it with paper and had a crab fest while we viewed the film. Sometimes, we opt for an array of snacks instead. Nachos, movie theater style boxes of candy, popcorn or the dreaded pizza bites are my kids’ favorites. I say dreaded because I get kinda’ sick if I think about pizza bites too hard and wonder what, exactly, is inside of them. Ew. When is the last time you enjoyed a family movie night?
I think some of these will wind up on my ‘best movies’ list
I keep a running list of movies we want to see. Going to the theater is a big treat for us. When you multiply a ticket price by five, six or seven, it gets expensive. We often just wait for the movies we want to see to come out on dvd. Here’s a peek at our current list of want-to-sees or just-recently-saws, several of which, I think, will earn spots on our ‘best movies’ list:
- 1917: I’m really looking forward to seeing this film about World War I. One of my eldest daughters saw it in the theater and gave a rave review. She especially liked how historically accurate it was, which is always a plus. Online reviews give it four out of five stars, stating that it gives viewers a raw and startling look into WWI battle trenches.
- Dolittle: We saw this one on the big screen and it was highly entertaining. It was funny, adventurous, suspenseful, and poignant, in parts. Robert Downey Jr. gave a superb performance!
- Little Women: Can. Not. Wait. It’s expected on dvd some time in early April. I am counting down the days! It is the seventh film adaptation of the 1868 Louisa May Alcott novel. I’m eager to see Greta Gerwig’s 2019 version of the March Sisters and their dear Marmee.
- Jumanji–the next level: This movie was SO funny. Definitely on my ‘best movies’ list. I literally cry-laughed through half of it. On a downside, they injected a lot of profanity that wasn’t present in the first film. That was disappointing, especially because the writers and actors know a lot of children will be viewing their work. Danny DeVito, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson are hysterical. Usually, I turn off a movie if it has bad language, so the fact that I watched this more than once tells how much I enjoyed it. I just said a little prayer when they took God’s name in vain or used profanity.
- A Quiet Place: A 2018 thriller. Some disturbing images, so parents should preview to discern whether it’s a good fit for their older kids. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, and was delighted to learn they are making a sequel, which, I’m told, is really a prequel, as in, the story before the story –like The Hobbit. I think it’s so sweet the husband and wife in the movie are married in real life! When I saw one particular scene where the man in the movie dances with his pregnant wife, I remarked to my kids that, if I didn’t know they were acting, I would think they were truly, deeply, passionately in love with each other. I later learned that they are a real life, married couple!
What do you think were the best movies in 2018 and 2019? Have you seen any new 2020 films yet that you’ve ranked at the top of your list? Do you go to the theaters often to see movies or wait for them to come out on dvd? what are your family’s movie night customs? What types of movies would you like there to be more of?