In honor of the day off school today due to the incredibly low temperature and wind chill, I thought I would update you all on what I did over winter break. Travis and I went to the movies a lot (thanks to our AMC gift cards for Christmas), we watched a lot of TV series, and spent hours reading.
MOVIES
Anchorman 2
We saw this one in Maryville where Travis claims is home to the best movie popcorn ever. The team gets back together to work for a 24 hour news station. I thought it was pretty funny, but a lot of the jokes were very similar to the first one. Brick (Steve Carell) stole the show in my opinion. Its worth a redbox, but you probably don't need to rush out and see it in theater.
Saving Mr. Banks
BEST MOVIE! This one wins my favorite movie over Christmas break and one of my favorite movies of the year. Its the story of how Disney and the writer of the Mary Poppins books came to bring the story to the big screen. It makes you look at Mary Poppins with a whole new perspective.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Also a very inspirational one. Its about a man who works for Life Magazine as they are producing their last print issue. He loses the picture for the front cover and goes abroad to find it. WARNING: This movie really makes you want to travel to Iceland. You might also starting taking Ben Stiller a little more seriously.
American Hustle
This is about a pair of con artists that get forced into working with the FBI to bring down some major power brokers, politicians, and the mafia. I thought the actors did an incredible job (Jennifer Lawerence in particular) but the story dragged a little bit around the 90 minute marker. You will definitely want to go out and buy some hot rollers after this because Amy Adams hair always looked fantastic.
TV SHOWS
The Big Bang Theory - Season 6
The Big Bang Theory at its best! This season starts with Howard in space after his recent marriage to Bernadette. Sheldon and Amy continue to figure out their "relationship" as Penny and Leonard progress in theirs. Sheldon hires an assistant to help him and begins his "Fun with Flags" web show. Raj meets a girl at a Valentine's Day party. We also get to hear how talented Howard's character is when he does impressions of famous people. I think my favorite episode is when the girls go to Disneyland and get princess makeovers.
American Horror Story (Season 1)
All of the American Horror Story seasons are independent of the others, so if one season sounds good, but the others don't, no need to watch them all! This one is set in present time at a haunted house. A new family moves into the house and once you move in, you never move out. You get to meet all the interesting characters that also remain in the house while also watching the family deal with their normal family problems. Can get gory, scary, and sexual at times. Not something to watch with small children.
American Horror Story Asylum (Season 2)
This season is mostly set in the 60s. Its about an asylum that houses the criminally insane. This season has a lot of different elements to it, including crazy nuns, insane doctors, the devil, a serial killer, aliens, zombie-like people, and former Nazis. There is more sexual content in this season too. The makeup artists for this show are incredible! WARNING: these shows can give you some weird nightmares. Try to watch them as quickly as you can to avoid sleepless nights if you're a wimp like me.
BOOKS
Insurgent
This is the second book in the Divergent trilogy. If you like The Hunger Games, this is one for you. Its a dystopian society based in Chicago in the distant future. I won't tell you too much about this book in particular, since you should read the first book before this one. At age 16, each member of society must pick one faction to enter. Each faction holds a different value, and most people fit only into one. However, the lead character Beatrice Prior fits into more than one, making her a divergent.
Joyland
I grew up with a major Stephen King fan (my dad), but never really got into his books. This story, however, is my favorite Stephen King novel. Its a coming-of-age story about a college student dealing with his first heartbreak while working at a summer amusement park called Joyland. Joyland holds a few of its own secrets including a murder story. This is not nearly as scary or gory as some of his other books. Great if you want to read a book by a legend writer without the nightmares!
Girls in White Dresses
A cute story about a group of female friends during their 20s. The book is written in episodes, so its important to read them all and in order, but each chapter is a single story fitting into the larger picture. The girls graduate college, move to different cities, get new jobs, live in new apartments, date different boys, get married, get divorced, travel, and drink through it all. Its a really great story if you are a 20-30 year old female with a group of really close girl friends. Its also a very quick read.
The Book Thief
I am only 1/4 of the way through this book, but so far its wonderful! Its about a poor German girl during World War II. After her brother dies and her mother gives her away, she is forced to live with a foster family. With the help of her new papa, she slowly learns to read. She learns to fall in love with books. I'm not there yet, but I believe the foster family will take in a Jew to keep safe as well.
That's my winter break in a nutshell! Travis and I are spending our unexpected last day of break sleeping, watching Monsters Inc, and throwing boiling water into the air to watch it steam away! Stay warm today and maybe enjoy a good book, TV show, or movie!
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