Movies You May Have Missed

I love movies. I have loved movies since I was old enough to change the television channel by myself.

Each year I see fewer movies at the theater. This is true for a variety of reasons, including what-I-consider high ticket prices and how quickly movies come and go from my local theaters. I still like to see movies in the theater for a couple hours of escape or when it's a movie I can't wait to see on DVD.

According to my calendar I made it to the movie theater nine times this year. There are three movies that I've seen in the last six weeks that I highly recommend, and you may still be able to find them at a theater near you:

Pirate Radio is the story of what happened when Great Britain outlawed rock and roll on the radio in the 1960's. Ten minutes into this movie Ken leaned over and told me he wanted to own the movie, the highest praise my husband can give a movie. The music is great.

The Blind Side is the true story of a well-to-do Texas family who invites Michael, a new student from their children's school, to move in with them. Michael plays football and is as different from the family as any person could be. Sandra Bullock and Quinton Aaron are terrific.

Everybody's Fine stars Robert DeNiro as a man who takes a trip to visit each of his four children after they cancel plans to visit him for the week-end. When one of his daughters asks him what he always wanted to do, DeNiro's character answers that all he ever wanted was to be a good father and provider for his family. I will definitely someday own this movie.

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In August 2007 Ken and I joined Netflix. We had moved to "the woods" and were 20 miles from the closest video store. We didn't have cable. I was having movie withdrawal and something had to be done. Netflix has improved my quality of life, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

In 2008 I watched 161 movies from Netflix. In 2009 the number climbed to 201.

I went back through the last two and a half years of movie rentals and selected the ten movies that I thought were worth watching more than once that may have slipped under your radar. We found most of these movies through previews on other Netflix rentals.

This is my gift to you this New Year's Eve, a list of ten of the best movies you may have never seen ~

King of California stars Michael Douglas as a father who does the best he can for his teen-aged daughter while he unlocks the secrets of a treasure map to search for gold under the local Costco.

The Amateurs is the funniest movie you will ever see about a town that makes a pornographic film without showing any pornography. Jeff Bridges makes it seem all seem possible.

Death at a Funeral is a British film about secrets that come out at the funeral of the family patriarch, as only the Brits can tell the story.

Dear Frankie is a story placed in Scotland about what happens when a mother puts her own fears aside to fulfill her child's most fervent desire to meet his father. Emily Mortimer is wonderful.

Lars and the Real Girl is a movie we passed up until I heard too many times what a good movie it is. The premise seems outlandish until you watch the movie.

The Girl in the Cafe is the unlikely story of a British diplomat who invites a girl he meets in a cafe to a G8 summit. Bill Nighy is one of my favorite British actors.

In How About You two sisters run a small boarding home for an incorrigible group of elders. I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did and look forward to watching it again.

Away We Go is one of those movies I will buy when I find it on sale. I watched this one twice in two days, once with Ken and once with my daughter. A couple travels to different cities to decide where they want to raise their child. The soundtrack is amazing.

The Maiden Heist is a hilarious movie with William H. Macy, Morgan Freeman, and Christopher Walken as guards in an art museum who decide to take action when their favorite works of art are going to be shipped elsewhere.

In The Answer Man Jeff Daniels plays the author of the book "Me and God." He hasn't made a public appearance in twenty years and doesn't like people, which is awkward because people think of him as a guru with all the answers. When he injures his back and sees a chiropractor the real answers begin to appear.

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Happy New Year! And here's looking forward to a new year of movies to watch ~